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HEAD LICE No matter how careful you are about your child's hair, there is still a chance that it can become infected with headlice if he/she comes into contact with other children. It is important to know how to recognise the problem early and to know how to cope with it. |
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What they are Headlice are tiny insects which live in the hair and feed by biting the scalp and sucking blood. They are sometimes greyish in colour, sometimes a dull red or brown. The female louse lays shiny yellow eggs and glues them one by one to individual hairs, close to the scalp. These eggs or nits hatch out , start feeding and soon begin to lay more eggs. As the hair grows, the eggs are carried further away from the scalp and become white or grey in colour, because they have hatched out. Anyone can catch Head lice although children pick them up more often than adults do. They catch them by coming into close contact with someone who is infected. When heads touch, the lice simply walk form one head to the other. Recognising lice The way head lice feed causes itching and irritation. Scratching of the scalp is usually the first sign that a child has head lice. By this time though, the lice have probably been in the hair for several weeks. So don't wait for the scratching to start. Check your child's hair regularly. Look carefully for the eggs or nits, particularly behind the ears, at the back of the head, on the neck, crown and under fingers. You can't mistake nits for dandruff. Dandruff is dull, flaky and loose enough to fall out. The nits are shiny and firmly attached to the hair. That is why it is so difficult to get rid of them. Managing lice It is very important to get treatment for lice and nits as soon as you find them. People who have had lice for a long time begin to feel unwell. Head lice can cause other, more serious infections if they are left untreated. Treatment is in the form of either a shampoo or a lotion, which are available from your local chemist. Shampoo is applied in the normal way. Lotion kills the lice and nits in a few easy applications. It is rubbed into the hair and scalp and then left to dry naturally, because using a hair dryer can destroy it's effectiveness. After waiting a specified time the hair can be rinsed in the usual way. Disinfect clothes and personal items eg combs, brushes, hats etc after initial treatment. Check every time the hair is washed. Prevention Unfortunately, it's always possible to catch head lice, however clean your hair. But there are a number of important things you should do: |
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