BUST THOSE BUGS
| Published: 3rd July 2008 17:59 |
Even if your children have managed to avoid bringing a few unwelcome little friends home from school with them, anyone with children at Primary Scholl will no doubt have received at least one letter asking them to check their children's hair for Head Lice. They are widespread in the Uk and are most common in children attending Nursery or Primary School - almost all schoolchildren have at least one attack. Head Lice are highly infectious and are easily passed on by head-to-head contact. They don't care if your hair is long or short, clean or dirty.
But what exactly should you look for?
Head Lice are brown or grey and around the size of a sesame seed. They can cling to the hair, but usually remain near the scalp where there is food and warmth. They lay a large number of white.brown eggs which are oval in shape and stick like glue to the hair near the scalp. The eggs hatch after seven to 10 days, leaving behind empty egg shells known as nits.
Continuous itching of the scalp can be a good indication that your child has Head Lice but itching may not always be present as it is not the Lice themselves which cause the itching but an allergy to them. Some people are not allergic to the Head Lice and therefore do not itch; in others it can take up to three months from the initial infestation before itching starts.
They can be difficult to spot just by looking at the hair. The best way is to use a fine toothed detection comb every week to thoroughly check the hair. Comb over a piece of white paper - this helps to see if there are any dark, mature Lice. Look for tiny red spots on the scalp. Favourite spots for infestation are behind the ear and at the nape of the neck.
How do you treat them? Head Lice are difficult to remove and can become a recurring nuisance if not treated quickly and thoroughly.
Wet combing is very effective and avoids the use of chemical treatments.
- Wash the hair as normal using an ordinary shampoo
- Liberally apply conditioner to the wet hair - this causes the Lice to lose their grip on the hair
- Comb the hair with an ordinary comb first
- comb with a fine tooth nit comb. Start at the roots and cover the complete length of the hair. Check the comb for Lice after each stroke and wipe clean. Work methodically over the whole head for at least 30 minutes to remove the Lice and Nits
- Rinse hair as normal
- Repeat every three days for at least two weeks
Pesticide shampoos and lotions are available over the counter but check with the Pharmacist to see which is most suitable and apply the preparation according to the instructions. Some people are concerned about the harmful side-effects and Head Lice have an ability to develop resistance these products.
Electrically charged combs are also available. These are used on dry hair and kill and remove the lice
Further information is available at http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/articles/article.aspx?articleId=186
http://www.suffolkpct.nhs.uk/
Lifecycle of Head Lice http://www.licefreenaturally.com.au/images/life_cycle2.gif
Detection combs, lotions and advice about detecting and treating Head Lice are availablel from pharmacies around the County. For more information on Head Lice visit the PCT's new website at http://www.suffolkpct.nhs.uk/
Community Comment:
Add your comment:
You will need to sign in to post a comment to this article. if you do not have an AboutMyArea account, you can join now for free.
