Lice Information
News from the Nurse: Lice
Head lice know no distinction. Personal hygiene and cleanliness of home, clothes, or hair, or where you live or play, have nothing to do with getting head lice. Shorthaired people and longhaired people are equally vulnerable.
The most common head lice symptom is itchy scalp, but that’s only if the person is allergic to head lice saliva. Head lice are often mistaken for dandruff. An easy way to tell the difference is that dandruff can easily be removed from the hair shaft with your fingers, while nits will stay put. If you suspect your child has head lice, the best way to make sure is to get a diagnosis from your family doctor. Your doctor can recommend effective treatment options for you.
Pediculosis is passed from one person to another on combs, hats/caps, hair ornaments, upholstered furniture, fabric car seats, etc. Lice do NOT jump, hop or fly and can only survive off a person for 12 to 25 hours.
Wissahickon School District: Procedure for Managing Head Lice in School
WSD and its school health program are committed to maximizing student’s academic performance and physical well-being in a healthy and safe environment.
- Managing cases of head lice in schools should be based on scientific and medical best practice to help reduce unnecessary school absences, limit embarrassment of students and decrease unnecessary exposure to potentially toxic chemicals to treat head lice.
- WSD recognizes that head lice infestations do not pose a health hazard, are not a sign of uncleanliness, and are not responsible for the spread of any disease. Misinformation about head lice causes anxiety for parents and school staff.
- WSD defines a healthy and safe environment as one in which adults work together to provide the following environmental factors established by current research as necessary for the health and well-being of students with head lice:
- Educating staff, students and parents/guardians about head lice and treatment regimens
- Establishing evidence based management for students with head lice
4. The goals of providing a healthy and safe environment for students with head lice are to:
- Maximize academic performance
- Minimize absence due to unnecessary exclusion of students with head lice and/or nits
Procedure for Head Lice Management:
- If school staff suspect head lice, the student will be sent to the school nurse. Careful inspection and screening of the hair and scalp will be done to identify head lice and/or viable nits.
- If nits are found, but no live lice on the hair, the school nurse will check the student again in 7-10 school days. If no nits or live lice are seen and the only nits found are more than ¼ inch from the scalp, the infestation is probably old and no longer active and does not need to be treated.
- If live (crawling) lice are found on the hair, the parent/guardian will be notified by the end of the day via phone or a note sent home with the student. The parent/guardian shall be provided information on the biology of head lice, methods to eliminate infestations, and directions to examine all household contacts for lice and nits. Pediculicide, lice killing products, are available as over-the-counter and by prescription. Parent/guardian should call their health care provider for recommendations of medical products that may be used to treat head lice. Super head lice are not a different kind of head lice but instead they are head lice that may have become resistant to some of the over-the-counter treatment products. There are no known health risks from head lice, and research has shown immediate removal of children from school is not effective in controlling or reducing the spread of head lice.
- The school nurse has the authority to exclude students based on his/her assessment and professional judgment.
- The student should be treated at home as soon as possible. All household members should be checked and treated only if head lice are present. The student may return to school after being treated. Parent/guardian will be required to send the school nurse a note about the treatment method completed at home. When the student returns to school the school nurse will inspect and screen the hair and scalp. If lice persist or treatment does not seem to be working, the school nurse will call the parent/guardian to discuss additional treatment options. The student will not be excluded from school.
- All school staff must maintain the privacy and confidentiality of students identified as having head lice. Removing a child immediately after a screening increases the risk of breaks in confidentiality. To help maintain the privacy and confidentiality of all students, our nurses do not send letters home to parents when a student is identified with head lice. Research has shown when letters are sent home to every parent/guardian they will treat their children even if they do not have head lice. Unnecessary treatment can lead to resistance and over exposure to toxic chemicals.
- Information about head lice will be available on the district website and provided to parents upon request.
- School and classroom screening will not be done. The American Academy of Pediatrics and other studies have shown that mass screening for lice and nits have not been shown to have a significant effect on reducing head lice in schools. Some parents believe it is a violation of their child’s privacy for schools to do whole classroom head checks. Students with signs of head lice/nits should be sent to the school nurse who will handle it individually, the same as any other health issue.
Help Your Family Prevent Head Lice
- Teach children to avoid head-to-head contact during play and other activities at home, school, and elsewhere (for example sports, playgrounds, slumber parties, and camps).
- Teach children not to share clothing and supplies, such as hats, scarves, helmets, sports uniforms, towels, combs, brushes, bandanas, hair ties, and headphones.
- Disinfect combs and brushes used by a person with head lice by soaking them in hot water (at least 130°F) for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Do not lie on beds, couches, pillows, carpets, or stuffed animals that have recently been in contact with a person with head lice.
- Vacuum the floor and furniture, particularly where the person with lice sat or laid. Head lice survive less than one or two days if they fall off the scalp and cannot feed.
- Clean items that have been in contact with the head of a person with lice in the 48 hours before treatment. Machine wash and dry clothing, bed linens, and other items using hot water (130°F) and a high heat drying cycle. Clothing and items that are not washable can be dry-cleaned or sealed in a plastic bag and stored for two weeks.
- Do not use insecticide sprays or fogs. They are not necessary to control head lice and can be toxic if inhaled or absorbed through the skin.
- After finishing treatment with lice medication, check everyone in your family for lice after several weeks. If you find live lice, contact your health care professional.
Head Lice and Nit Checklist
1. _____ Check all family members and other close contacts, for lice or nits in a well-lit area, using a magnifying glass or eye glasses, if available.
2. _____ Contact your health care provided for recommended treatment options.
3. _____ Treat hair with pediculicide, FOLLOWING PACKAGE DIRECTIONS. Be sure to treat hair over sink using towel to cover eyes, NOT in the bathtub or shower.
4. _____ Have the newly treated person put on clean clothing after treatment.
5. _____ After treatment, remove nits and/or live lice with fine tooth comb or fingernails. Be sure to put removed lice/nits in plastic bag and dispose of it immediately.
6. _____ Check package direction on pediculicide for possible re-treatment in 7-10 days.
7. _____ Consult with your child’s health care provider if nits or lice reappear.
Head lice do not survive long if they fall off a person and cannot feed. You don’t need to spend a lot of time or money on housecleaning activities. Follow these steps to help avoid re–infestation by lice that have recently fallen off the hair or crawled onto clothing or furniture.
8. _____ Machine wash and dry clothing, bed linens, and other items that the treated person wore or used during the 2 days before treatment, using hot water (130 F) laundry cycle and the high heat drying cycle. Clothing and items that are not washable can be dry cleaned OR sealed in a plastic bag and stored for 2 weeks.
9. _____ Soak combs and brushes in hot water (at least 130 F) for 5-10 minutes.
10. _____ Vacuum the floor and furniture, particularly where the infested person sat or lay. However, the risk of getting infested by a louse that has fallen onto a rug or carpet or furniture is very small. Head lice survive less than 1-2 days if they fall off a person and cannot feed; nits cannot hatch and usually die within a week if they are not kept at the same temperature as those found close to the human scalp.
11. _____ Do not use fumigant sprays; they can be toxic if inhaled or absorbed through the skin.