Getting in the loop about head lice

As children get ready to head back to school, one of the least popular schooltime traditions is about to return as well: lice testing. A tradition that rears its ugly head at the beginning of each school year, lice testing remains an important element to maintaining your child’s health.

While most people recall being tested for head lice when they were in school, many still are not sure exactly why or what exactly head lice is or how it’s contracted. For those in the dark who might want to check their children out before sending them off the school this fall, the following head lice primer should help you better understand just why lice testing is so important.

What Are Head Lice?

According to the Harvard School of Public Health, head lice are parasitic insects whose genetic makeup enables them to easily attach to both scalp and neck hairs of humans. Contrary to popular belief, someone who contracts head lice is not necessarily a person of poor hygiene. In fact, the most common way of contracting head lice is through head-to-head contact with a person who has head lice, such as sharing a hat, towel, comb, etc. In addition, head lice can briefly survive on bedding or upholstered furniture.

While an infested person will likely have fewer than a dozen active lice on their scalp, those infested have been known to have hundreds of viable, dead or hatched eggs (nits) on their scalp.

Who Gets Head Lice?

Children are more likely to be infested with head lice than adults, hence the reason for stringent testing at the beginning of each school year. Also, Caucasians are more likely to contract head lice than other ethnic groups.

How Harmful Are Head Lice?

Generally, head lice are harmless. Instead, they are more of a nuisance than anything else, causing itching of the scalp that can make sleeping difficult. A few head lice should be no cause for alarm for parents, who should treat such an instance by removing the lice through grooming.

The Harvard School of Public Health also points out that just because you may see head lice on your child’s scalp does not necessarily mean the infestation is active. In a study of more than 600 samples of suspected head lice cases, for instance, Harvard researchers found that fewer than 400 of those samples actually contained active head lice infestations. Those same researchers found that oftentimes, school officials are unwarranted in sending children home, as many of those children simply have dead eggs on their scalp and don’t need to be quarantined or embarrassed in front of classmates. Should your child be sent home on testing day, consult his physician before worrying yourself and your child over what is likely nothing.

How Contagious Are

Head Lice?

While head lice can be transmitted through sharing of hats, towels, etc., the reproduction number (the total number of secondary infections) is actually significantly lower than reproduction numbers for the common cold and the flu. In essence, your child has a better chance of catching a cold or the flu from a friend or classmate than he does head lice.

Can My Child Get Head Lice

From An Animal?

Human head lice is typically exclusive to humans, and lice that plagues other animals only rarely manifests itself on people. Most animals harbor their own species of lice, though there is a remote chance a child can contract lice from an animal.

How Can I Treat Head Lice?

There are numerous methods for treating head lice, though parents looking to treat their child’s should first make sure the infestation is active. More often than not, the infestation isn’t active, and treatment is unnecessary.

· Mechanical Removal. This is effective but often takes lots of time. Combing each day can remove the living lice and the ones that have hatched since the previous combing. Make sure you use lots of light, a magnifying glass and a good nit comb if you decide to remove the viable eggs mechanically. Remember, as well, that fewer than a dozen eggs are typically active at one time. Two weeks of daily combing should do the trick.

· Pyrethroid Insecticides. Shampoos that contain permethrin or pyrethrins should indicate on the bottle their specific use for human beings. These treatments typically don’t do much in the way of killing eggs, often requiring a second treatment about 10 days after the initial one to kill those lice that hatched after the first treatment. The lice won’t instantly fall out or die upon application, so a thorough examination the next morning can help you determine how successful the treatment was.

Harvard researchers found that prescription-strength pyrethroids were not more effective in treating head lice, as the head lice found in the United States proved resistant to permethrin.

· Non-pyrethroid Insecticides. Harvard researchers warn that parents should practice caution when treating children with insecticides that contain lindane and malathion, two of the active ingredients in non-pyrethroid insecticides. Consult a physician and get a specific rundown of how to apply.

· Haircuts. While this is typically just an option for boys, head lice won’t have much to cling to on a bald or shaved head. Eyelashes or facial hair can succumb to head lice, and understandably treating such areas should be done with great caution, as insecticides can burn the eyes. Parents and children who decide to cut it all off should know that many local laws prohibit barbers or beauticians from coming into contact with infested individuals, so the job will likely have to be a do-it-yourselfer. If that’s the case, thoroughly cleanse or even discard all tools used once the job is done.

Other treatments for head lice, such as enzyme treatments and antibiotics, do exist, though their effects have yet to be widely studied or determined and a physician should be consulted.