Head lice can become a real problem once they find a home on your scalp. They can make you feel itchy to the point where you will scratch so much you'll wind up with infected sores. They can keep you up all night, scratching for relief. Since female head lice are able to produce roughly six eggs in a day, head lice infestation happens fast.
Facts
Head lice are also referred to by their scientific name, Pediculus humanus capitis. Head lice are mostly found in the scalp, but in rare instances head lice stay in eyelashes and eyebrows. Head lice do not feed off of pets, and are not the same as fleas. Head lice do not like the light. Head lice have a hook at the end of their legs that resembles a crochet needle, and they use this hook to hold on to the hair.
Significance
Head lice are parasitic insects that live off human blood. They latch themselves on to the hair and most commonly infest young children in preschool and elementary school. Parents and children should know more about head lice to avoid infestation, and to be ready to eliminate them, should symptoms of head lice appear. Once one family member gets an infestation of head lice, it is easy for the head lice to infest other family members.
Identification
Head lice start out as an egg called a nit. Nits can barely be seen because they are the size of a grain of sand, and they can range in color from yellow to white, or sometimes the color of the hair they are attached to. The eggs can resemble dandruff. Once the nit hatches, the insect is in it nymph stage. At this point it has six legs and is beige in color. When it becomes an adult, it will be about the size of a grain of rice. Mature head lice can also be a combination of gray and white in color.
Considerations
Head lice are not responsible for spreading disease. Infestation of head lice is not a matter of poor hygiene. Head lice infestation among children in school is common as head lice can easily crawl into the hair of a child when close contact is made. When head lice become separated from the scalp, the blood supply that nourishes them is cut off and they die within 48 hours. Nits require the warmth of the scalp to survive. Sometimes head lice are resistant to treatment given, in which case an alternate treatment must be used.
Prevention/Solution
Seek the advice of a doctor before treating a young child for head lice. Immerse all brushes and combs in 130-degree F water for 10 minutes. Use a powerful vacuum cleaner to vacuum the floor with, and any upholstered furniture. Two days before treatment, wash and dry all clothing, bedding and towels the infested person used, and do so in hot water and use a hot setting on the dryer. Put any cloth items in a plastic bag if they cannot be laundered, seal the bag tightly and keep these items in the sealed plastic bag for two weeks to kill all head lice. Next, treat anyone infested with head lice as a group using pediculicide (lice medicine) according to the instructions. Long hair will require an extra bottle of the medicine. Keep in mind you should not wash the hair within 48 hours after rinsing out the pediculicide. Use a nit comb to remove any lice that are still alive after 12 hours. Check the hair and continue to remove lice and nits with the nit comb every other day, and keep checking for up to three weeks to prevent reinfestation. Retreatment is usually recommended after nine to 10 days. To prevent reinfestation, children should keep their distance from other children, and they should not share their clothes or hair tools.
