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HEAD
LICE
What are lice?
Lice are blood-sucking insects which only live on humans. They are tiny but
visible to the eye. They hold onto human hairs with tiny claws at the end
of their six legs. They come in three different forms:
Head lice, which usually live in the scalp, armpits, beard, and eye-brows.
Pubic lice or "crabs", which are usually found on pubic hair.
Body lice, which occur anywhere, but most often in armpits and around the
waist. The eggshells of lice ("nits"), which can be seen as white
specks attached to hair, are quite firmly attached and not easy to remove.
Why do they spread?
Lice need human blood to feed their young. Full grown lice climb rapidly from
one person to another during close head to head contact. They are common amongst
children and easily spread to the rest of the family.
My children are always
clean. Are they safe from lice?
No! Clean hair is no protection against head lice. Lice have no need of dirt.
Anyone with hair on the scalp can catch them. There is a common belief that
children with lice must come from unhygienic families - this is simply not
true. All we can tell is that lice are more likely to occur on sociable children
who have plenty of friends.
Will I be informed
when lice are "going around"?
This is unlikely. Many people have feelings of disgust about lice infestation,
so they tend to conceal it rather than alert others. For similar reasons,
some childcare institutions may try to avoid getting involved so as not to
scare away customers! Schools will only alert parents if many children are
affected. So parents should not wait to be told and check their children regularly.
Surely the School Nurses
must be checking the children's heads?
Many people still think that the School Nurse's role is to search for nits.
This is not true. Checking their children is the parents' responsibility.
The School Nurse can give advice to parents and teachers on how to search
for lice, on wet combing and when to use lotions.
My children have no
symptoms, no itching, nothing. Are they free of lice?
Possibly. However, lice can be present for some weeks before itching develops,
so it is always a good idea to check your children's hair periodically. Head
lice and nits are also not easily spotted just by looking, so wet combing
is necessary.
What is wet-combing?
As lice are very small, they easily escape an ordinary comb. A fine-tooth
comb is necessary. However, combing dry hair with a fine-tooth comb still
does not work, as lice quickly move away when they detect the disturbance
caused by a comb. The secret is wetness - really wet lice stay still and do
not escape. Hence fine combing of the child's dripping wet hair is the ideal
technique.
Wet combing can be helped
even more by washing the hair with an ordinary shampoo and conditioner beforehand.
This makes the hair so slippery that the lice cannot grip and simply slide
off the hair.
There is one problem though. The egg-cases are tough and stuck firmly to the
hair and eggs may remain even after wet combing. However, these eggs will
surely hatch in a few days and if wet combing is repeated every 4 days for
three times again, all the lice will be cleared.
What is bug-busting?
The programme of doing four wet-combings is called bug-busting. To summarise.
Bug-busting means:
What about using lotions?
Lotions have been used for many years, but people should be aware of what
they are. The lotions available are simply dilute solutions of the same chemicals
used to kill rats and other vermin. They can cause allergies, skin irritation
and many other side effects. In recent years more controls have been introduced
on lotions as more of their side effects are becoming known.
There are also other disadvantages. Lotions rarely work first time and repeats
may be necessary increasing the risk of side effects. Many lice have developed
resistance to lotions. They are also not suitable for babies.
In contrast, wet combing is totally safe, can be done any time and as often
as required.
Any other precautions?
If lice are found, it is usually a good idea to wash all the affected clothes,
hats, scarves, etc using as high a heat cycle that the materials will stand.
No special treatment of the home or beds is required.
Can lice come back?
Most parents will be very familiar with this problem. Sometimes lice are found
after cleaning the hair because all the lice were not properly cleared. However,
even after they have been cleared, children can catch lice again from their
friends. The only way to reduce this problem is if the entire population were
to clear the lice at the same time - Community Bug Busting.
Is there a problem
in Gibraltar?
Not more than average. Numbers tend to rise and fall. All countries have lice
and no one has eradicated them yet. But with concerted effort, their numbers
can be kept under control.
For more information please contact the Health Visitor ( 72945 ) or School Nurse ( 78039 )