Union Ridge families,
\r\nDue to the changes in the CDC guidelines concerning school vs Head lice, we wanted to recommend parents work periodic head checks into their schedules.
\r\nGeneral Facts about Head Lice
\r\nNo child should be allowed to miss valuable school time because of head lice. After the live lice are no longer present, the child may return to school.
Head lice are not a source of infection or disease; they are simply a nuisance.
The adult louse (one) is 2 to 3 mm long (the size of a sesame seed).
While the louse lives on the head, it feeds by injecting small amounts of saliva and taking tiny amounts of blood from the scalp every few hours.
The saliva may create an itchy irritation. With a first case of head lice, itching may not develop from 4 to 6 weeks, because it takes time to develop a sensitivity to louse saliva.
Head lice infestation in an individual is likely to have been present 4 to 6 weeks by the time it is discovered.
Head lice usually survive less than 1 day away from the scalp and eggs cannot hatch at room temperature.
Head lice are not a sign of poor hygiene, dirty hair or lack of parental care. Washing hair does not kill head lice, as they can survive underwater for several hours. Anyone with hair – long or short, clean or dirty – can get head lice.
Transmission/Detection
\r\nLice do not hop, jump or fly; they crawl. Transmission in most cases occurs by direct contact with the head of another infested individual.
It is important not to confuse nits (eggs) with dandruff, hair casts, hairspray droplets, scabs, dirt or other insects. Nits are more difficult to remove because they are “glued” on the hair.
The standard for diagnosing head lice is finding a live louse on the head.
Schools are not the most common places where head lice are spread and routine classroom or school wide screening for live lice has not been proven to have a significant effect on the incidence of head lice in a school community over time.
Treatment:
\r\nAll household members and other close contacts should be checked
Get a prescription or OTC treatment for head lice
Visit this link for helpful tips on successful treatment:
Preventing Reinfestation
\r\nWash all bed linens and clothing that's been recently worn by anyone in your home who's infested in very hot water (130°F [54.4°C]), then put them in the hot cycle of the dryer for at least 20 minutes.
Dry clean anything that can't be washed (like stuffed animals). Or put them in airtight bags for at least 3 days.
Vacuum carpets and any upholstered furniture (in your home or car), then throw away the vacuum cleaner bag.
Soak hair-care items like combs, barrettes, hair ties or bands, headbands, and brushes in rubbing alcohol or medicated shampoo for 1 hour. You also can wash them in hot water or just throw them away.
Dont's
\r\nDon't use a hairdryer on your child's hair after applying any of the currently available scalp treatments because some contain flammable ingredients. A hair dryer could also cause live lice to blow into the air and spread to others nearby.
Don't use a conditioner or shampoo/conditioner combination before applying lice medication.
Don't wash your child's hair for 1 to 2 days after using a medicated treatment.
Don't use sprays or hire a pest control company to try to get rid of the lice, as these treatments can be harmful. Head lice don't survive long once they fall off a person, so you don't need to spend a lot of time and money trying to rid the house of lice.
Don't use the same medication more than three times on one person. If it doesn't seem to be working, your doctor may recommend another medication.
Don't use more than one head lice medication at a time.
Don't use essential oils (such as ylang ylang oil or tea tree oil) to treat lice on the scalp. These oils can lead to allergic reactions on the scalp and have not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Also, there are no studies to show whether or not such treatments actually work.
Don't use chemicals such as gasoline or kerosene on the hair. These are highly flammable and should never be used to treat lice on anyone.
If you have any question or concerns please feel free to call.
\r\nThank you,
\r\nDenise Morgan, RSD RN 360-619-7253
\r\nCarla Bonebrake, UR Health Assistant 360-750-7608