Keep head lice away

The Olympian • Published November 16, 2008

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The formal name is pediculosis. Kids call it cooties.

Avoiding other bugs

The cold and flu season is approaching, and there are steps that children can take to avoid catching those bugs:

•Encourage your children to wash with soap and water frequently and for at least 10 to 15 seconds. This is especially important after nose-blowing. To mark the time, they can sing their ABCs or "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star."

•Tell children to cover their noses and mouths when coughing and sneezing, and teach children to dispose of used tissues right away.

•Tell children to avoid touching their eyes, noses and mouths, as viruses easily move from fingertips to the mucous membranes they infect.

Source: The Mayo Clinic

Whatever you choose to call it, an infection of head lice is no fun for parents or kids or schools, but is a fairly common nuisance that takes persistence and patience.

Lice are spread only through direct contact with an infected person or area, so the little bugs are transmitted through sharing of combs, hats, clothes and coats.

Districts have different policies for removing children from school during an infestation. But although they are annoying to deal with, lice do not spread disease.

Signs of lice

• Itchy scalps, though someone can have lice for months without any itching, or a rash around the neck.

• Little yellowish-white eggs, called nits, stuck on hairs close to the scalp. Sometimes dandruff is mistaken for nits.

• Louse droppings that look like a fine black powder that fall on pillows.

• Something moving on the scalp could be lice. Head lice are small and hard to see with the naked eye.

• Under a magnifying glass, you might be able to see that head lice are brownish-red or gray with six legs built for clinging.

Questions and answers

What are they?: Head lice (pediculus humanus capitus) are parasites that afflict more than 6 million people each year.

How do they live?: Lice live on blood, and they lay their eggs close to the scalp where the temperature is right for incubation.

How long to do they live?: According to the National Pediculosis Association, head lice live for 30 days on a scalp but die within 24 hours if they are not on a human. The eggs can live for up to two weeks, so it's a good idea to tie off clothing, pillows and toys in a plastic bag for two weeks after you see the last of the lice.

Trivia: A female louse lays about four eggs per day that take about eight days to mature into lice capable of starting the cycle again.

Prevention

• Tell your child not to share towels, brushes, hair ties, bike helmets, car seats, pillows, pillow cases, head covers, hats or hoods with their classmates.

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