|
Pediculosis (Head Lice)
MYTH OR FACT ABOUT HEAD LICE?
Lice do not live on clean heads.
MYTH
Lice jump from head to head, that is how they are spread.
MYTH
Lice do not have wings; therefore, they do not fly.
FACT
Lice crawl, very quickly, and avoid the light when hair is spread apart.
FACT
Lice is transmitted by sharing hair brushes, helmets, bed linen , or pillows, or by resting your head back onto a place where an infested person was sitting, such as fabric covered seats at a restaurant, movie theater, or airplane.
FACT
Lice live by drawing blood off of the human scalp.
FACT
A louse can lay up to 12 eggs (also called "nits") per day.
FACT
The nits actually stick to the hair with a glue-like substance which is place by the louse.
FACT
Lice can be passed on to your pets, such as cats and dogs.
MYTH
Being cautious really does help in preventing a lice situation (ie, have your child take his/her pillow and blanket if not sleeping at home--and ask guests to bring theirs to your home; teach your child not to share items which come in contact with his/her head.)
FACT
Please be a proactive parent! Inspect your child's head regularly for nits or lice. (Nits are tiny tear-drop shaped eggs which can be black, brown, gray or white. Lice are tiny gray-brown bugs about the size of a sesame seed.)
If your child does contract lice, or if you are suspicious that s/he has it, please do not send the him/her to school. Contact your school's nurse immediately for instructions. She will assist you in ridding your child and home of the problem.
|
|