Head lice are tiny insects about the size of a sesame seed. They move from one person to another by head-to-head (hair-to-hair) contact. Head lice lay eggs which hatch after 7-10 days. It takes about 10 days for a recently hatched louse to grow into an adult and start to lay eggs. Nits are the empty white egg shells which are left when the lice hatch. The spread of head lice can be minimized with routine inspection for live head lice and nits.

Parents and guardians are responsible for:

• Knowing head lice signs and symptoms.

• Routinely checking their child’s head for head lice once a week.

• Telling their child’s school that their child has head lice.

• Ensuring that full, proper treatment has been completed before the pupil returns to school.

How to Find Head Lice:

 • Severe itching is the most common sign of head lice.

• Look for head lice and tiny white or grey coloured eggs called nits. Nits look like tiny water drops and are stuck on the hair. They are hard to remove. While nits might signal a live infestation, they don’t necessarily mean that live head lice are present; the eggs may have already hatched.

• Check your own head and the heads of everyone who lives in the home.

• Advise school that your child has head lice, also tell the parents of your child’s friends to check their child for head lice.

How to treat Head Lice:

• Information about special medicated treatments is available from the pharmacist or doctor.

• Only use medicated treatments on your child’s head if you find live, moving head lice. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions carefully.

• After treating your child’s hair, make sure there are no live head lice. If you still find head lice that are moving, go back to the pharmacist or doctor for help.

• After the first treatment check the child’s head to make sure the treatment was successful. It was successful if no live lice are found. Speak to a pharmacist about another chemical treatment if you still find live lice. Continue to check the child’s head every day for 10 days. This is important as eggs that you are unlikely to have seen will continue to hatch. Do a second treatment 7 to 10 days after the first successful treatment. Chemical treatments do not completely kill eggs. The second treatment will kill lice that hatch after the first treatment.

•After the second treatment visually inspect the child’s head to make sure the treatment was successful. Inspect the child’s head every two days for 10 consecutive days. After 10 days of inspecting without detecting more live head lice, return to checking the child’s head once a week for nits and lice.

Head Lice and Absence from School:

Having head lice is not a reason for school absence as treatment can be administered quickly. However, should live head lice be noticed by a member of staff, a call will be made to the parent/gaurdian who will be asked to collect the child from school immediately. A thorough comb through or chemical treatment done quickly at home will enable the child to be back at school the next day. If the infestation continues for more than three weeks, the Headteacher will call the parents to discuss what is being done to eradicate the head lice and if necessary will make a referral to the school nurse.