Common and Minor Ailments - Head Lice

The Prevention and Treatment of Head Lice

Facts

• Head lice are small, six-legged wingless insects, pin-head size when they hatch and less than match-head size when fully grown, they are grey/brown in colour. They are difficult to detect in dry hair even when the head is closely inspected. They often cause itching, but this is not always the case, particularly when recently arrived on the head.

• Head lice cannot fly, jump or swim, but spread by clambering from head to head. Anyone with hair can catch them, but children who have head to head contact, either at school or during play, are most commonly affected.

• Head lice feed by biting and sucking blood through the scalp of their host. The female louse lays eggs in sacs (nits) which are very small, dull in colour, and well camouflaged. These are securely glued to hairs where the warmth of the scalp will hatch them out 7-10 days. Empty egg sacs are white and shiny and may be found further along the hair shaft as the hair grows out. Lice take 6-14 days to become fully grown, after which they are capable of reproduction.

• Head lice are not fussy about hair length or condition. Clean hair is therefore no protection, although regular (eg weekly) hair washing and combing sessions offer a good opportunity to detect head lice, and arrange treatment if discovered.

• Head lice need to maintain contact with a host in order to survive. Those lice that leave the host voluntarily, or fall off, are likely to be damaged or approaching death (their life span is about 3 weeks) and so unable to start a new colony. There is no need to wash or fumigate clothing or bedding that comes into contact with head lice.

Treatment

If you find lice, then there are two options, Whichever option you choose it is important to recognise that neither will protect against re-infection if head to head contact is made with someone with head lice at a later date. You may therefore wish to undertake occasional checks during hair washing sessions.

Option 1: Lotions

• Do not use lotions unless you find a living moving louse. Check all close family/friends and treat anyone who is found to have lice at the same time, to prevent re-infection.

• Ensure you have enough lotion to treat all those affected and follow the instructions on the packet carefully, eg as to how long the treatment must remain on the hair to be effective, how often you apply the product etc.

• The product may be capable of killing eggs as well as lice, but there is no certainty of this. Check for baby lice hatching out from eggs 3-5 days after you use it, and again at 10-12 days.

• If the lice appear to be unaffected by the product (some lice may have developed resistance to a particular insecticide) or if the problem persists - then you should take advice from your local school nurse, health visitor, pharmacist or GP, who will be able to advise you on alternative treatments and explain how to use these to best effect. You should seek advice where whoever is being treated is either under 1 year of age, suffers from asthma or allergies, or is pregnant or breast feeding.

Option 2: The "Bug Busting" treatment method

This aims at systematic removal of live lice by combing through the hair and physically removing any lice found. Success depends largely upon adopting a painstaking approach - as described in the "Bug Buster" kit. The kit, which includes an illustrated guide and combs, is available from some pharmacies, and by mail order from:

Community Hygiene Concern
Manor Gardens Centre, 6-9 Manor Gardens
London N7 6LA

Bug Buster: Help Line: 020 7686 4321 - www.chc.org/bugbusting

Only one kit is required for a family and it is reusable. Four sessions spaced over 2 weeks are required to clear the lice, as long as the person does not catch more lice, in which case half-weekly sessions must continue.

If you are at all worried about head lice or feel you need more advice on how to cope, then you should consult school nurse, health visitor, pharmacist or family doctor.