Information - Head Lice
By Healthcare | Posted: Tuesday August 15, 2017
Head lice are an (unwelcome) part of life, and are easily spread between people, particularly children. The key to managing head lice is early detection: Look through your child’s hair on a regular basis - nominate a certain night of the week so it becomes routine. Use your fingers or a head lice comb, and look for little brown insects on the scalp. The eggs are almost invisible before they hatch, so by the time you spot the little white eggs on the hair shaft they are already hatched.
Do not treat your child unless you see live lice.
The best treatment is thorough combing with a head lice comb and lots of conditioner in the hair. This should be done every 2nd day for 10 days.
If you choose to use a head lice shampoo, you should still do the combing as described above. Shampoos do not kill eggs, and do not always kill all the live lice.
Do not use animal products on your child’s scalp. They are harmful to humans.
You do not need to wash bed linen, towels etc. However, make sure children do not share hats or hair brushes.
For more information contact: Karen Nielsen, public health nurse, 476 9838/ 027 464 8990, karen.nielsen@southerndhb.govt.nz