Itching already? No one wants to talk about head lice and it is one of the most common public health concerns among elementary age school children in the US. An astounding 80% of schools have outbreaks every year and some 10 million Americans will suffer from a head lice attack at some point in their lives.
Head lice have been around since there have been people. Excavated tombs, such as those in Egypt, have shown evidence of head lice infestations.
Life Cycle of a Louse
A louse (pediculus humanus capitis) lives about one month. Once the female reaches adulthood (about ten days from hatching) she feeds, mates and can lay anywhere from 50-150 eggs. These eggs or nits are attached to the hair shaft. Those that are brownish in color are unhatched, while white or clear nits have already hatched and are no longer a threat. The female louse continues to reproduce until she dies. Nits will hatch in about seven days and the cycle begins again.
Common Myths About Head Lice:
They jump from head to head.
The only way to spread lice is through personal contact. A shared comb, a borrowed jacket, or sleepovers are common causes of the spread of lice. Lice can move very quickly but cannot jump or leap.
Lice are only on people who are “dirty”.
Personal hygiene has very little to do with head lice. In fact some sources say that head lice prefer a cleaner head for ease of attaching nits to the hair shaft. Clean or dirty, lice are an equal opportunity infestation.
The whole house has to be vacuumed and sprayed or treated for the infestation.
Lice are parasitical and cannot live away from a human for more than a maximum of 48 hours. Without a blood meal, they will die quickly. Only items used by the unfortunate soul who has the lice need to be treated. Items needing attention include bedclothes, a favorite chair, clothing and perhaps stuffed toys. Items such as blankets or clothing can be run through the washer and dryer, a simple expedient to rid them of lice. Vacuuming a bed or chair and disposing of the bag is good for things that can't be washed. Lice will die in temperatures exceeding 130 degrees, so even running clothing or blankets through the dryer will usually do the trick.
Head lice carry disease.
The worst that will happen from a case of head lice is the unattended head may develop a slight infection from the constant scratching. Head lice bite to get to the blood meal they need and their saliva contains a slight irritant, which causes the itch felt. To date, no reports of serious disease have been connected with an infestation of head lice.
Getting Rid of Head Lice
As many myths as there are about the behavior of head lice, there is likely to be a matching fallacy about getting rid of them. Many varied methods are put forth, most of them useless and some of them dangerous. Using mayonnaise or Vaseline to smother the lice is uncomfortable for the victim, and extremely difficult to remove from the hair. The results are marginal at best and without the removal of nits, re-infestation is likely.
Kerosene or gasoline is commonly touted as good methods for getting rid of lice. This is not true!!! These are dangerous chemicals and should not be used on a human being. They are both prone to combustion and will not get rid of the lice.
The most common chemical treatments on the market are Nix and Rid. These contain pesticides which can potentially be dangerous such as pyrethrin or permethrins. In addition to treating the head with these products, several days of using a fine tooth comb are necessary to remove the nits and prevent re-infestation.
In recent years, studies have begun to show that lice are becoming resistant to the chemicals. Specific areas of the country seem to be more effected than others but overall these products seem to be less successful than in the past.
A product called the Robi-Comb, put out by the company LiceGuard, is extremely effective. It is an electric comb that is used on the victims head. The comb's fine teeth pick up the adult louse and zap them with an electric charge. This charge cannot be felt by the person being treated. Daily use for two weeks eliminates the lice as they hatch and prevents new eggs being laid as the emerging lice are killed before they reach the age of reproduction.
Several natural methods are also promoted, among them tea-tree oil. I have no personal experience on how effective tea-tree oil is but many people insist that it works and some say that it will also prevent re-infestation.
No one wants to talk about it but with education and quick action, head lice can be successfully treated and reoccurrence prevented.
