Lice Prevention
Author: By LORI RYPKA

Mystery and misconceptions surround a class of pesky critters that are a nuisance to parents, children and school officials.
Health officials are uncertain when lice and nits, or immature lice eggs, made their first appearances on human heads.
What is certain is that conventional beliefs that lice are more common in children with poor hygiene or lower socioeconomic standing are false.
Lice are out for blood - literally - and they are not choosy about their targets.
Lice are fast-moving, and yellowish, gray or white. As nits, they attach closest to the hair at the scalp and are hatched after a week. The visible difference between lice and dandruff is that lice can be slightly larger and they move.
Helen Monk, health specialist for Frederick County (Md.) Public Schools, says parents can help prevent an infestation by thoroughly inspecting their child’s hair throughout the year. Nits must be laid by live lice. Someone cannot “catch nits,” she says.
Have you heard the word “nit-picking”? This process is where the term originated.
Nit-picking is a tedious task.
Here are some tips on identifying and removing nits and lice:
* When searching for lice and nits, seat your child under bright lights, preferably natural light.
* Part the child’s hair in different areas and examine the scalp closely, particularly around the ears and nape of the neck.
* Lice are small specks the size of sesame seeds. Adult lice typically move quickly away from light. Note: Newly laid eggs are transparent. To distinguish eggs from dandruff, try to dislodge them with a fine-toothed comb. Eggs are resistant to removal.

If parents identify lice, the first step is to begin treatment, such as with an over-the-counter lice medication. Monk notes that such medications might rid the child of lice, but not necessarily the nits. Parents also need to check all children in their family, and contact the school of the infested child and those attended by their siblings.
She says an infested child will be excluded from school and activities until the parent can show proof of treatment.
Once children return to school, their heads are checked, then rechecked after a week, Monk says.
“Sometimes it is important for parents to look at their child’s head even one more week later” to ensure there is not another infestation, Monk says.
Becky Showalter, assistant pediatrics nursing supervisor with Shenandoah Community Health Center in Martinsburg, says the center receives a number of phone calls inquiring about treatment. Many calls are due to a reinfestation, which can occur if parents do not provide proper treatment or follow the recommendations to clean their house.
Children usually are not required to come into the office unless the parents are unsure if the diagnosis is lice or dandruff; if the parents want to confirm a diagnosis; the child has complications such as a scalp infection; or if an infant 3 months or younger is infested.
Over-the-counter medications are not recommended for infants, as there is a possibility that the lice-killing agents might be introduced into the bloodstream.
In addition to over-the-counter options, Showalter says there are home remedies that can kill lice. For ages 3 and older, parents can cover their head with olive oil or mayonnaise before bed and cover with a shower cap for eight hours.

Parents are key
When it comes down to it, parents are key, Monk says.
Parents need to teach their kids not to share personal items such as combs, hats, towels, scarves, pillows and headphones.
There is a misconception that lice jump from person to person. Instead, lice need relatively close contact to transfer to another person or article of clothing. They do not jump, notes Monk, adding that most lice cannot survive more than 24 hours without a meal.
Parents should vacuum their house well, wash exposed items and place them in a high-temperature dryer (at least 140 degrees) for at least 20 minutes,
Monk says. Items that cannot be washed, such as stuffed animals, should be sealed in a plastic bag for 10 days to two weeks.
“This guarantees they will die,” Monk says.
Lice are fairly common in the fall and throughout the winter, as children are wearing hats and coats. Monk says elementary school children seem more susceptible to lice than middle-schoolers.
Lice infestations are “almost unheard of in high school,” she says, because children that age are less likely to share things like hats and combs.

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