This is the phone call that every parent dreads: "Hello, this is your child's school nurse. Your child has lice."
Lice is a very common problem in schools. According to the CDC, "an estimated 6 million to 12 million infestations occur each year in the United
States among children 3 to 11 years of age". So, why are elementary-aged children so susceptible to lice? Lice is transmitted by head-to-head contact. Lice do not fly or jump from head to head. Some of the ways that lice is transmitted from person to person are by sharing brushes, hats,or scarves; by lying on beds, pillows, or couches where someone with lice has lay; or by using the brush or comb of another person.
So, what is a parent to do when the dreaded call comes? First, follow the school nurse's instructions. I will provide different options to help guide you to managing and removing the lice. There are several over-the-counter medicated shampoos for the treatment of lice, but there are also prescription shampoos that you can get from your physician. The second step is to make sure all of the "nits", the lice eggs, are removed from the child's hair. This is a tedious and pain-staking process, but extremely important to do. Next, take measures in the home: wash all the bedding and clothing in hot water with which your child has come in contact in the past couple of days, pack any stuffed animals in a plastic bag and seal for 2 weeks, and vaccuum thoroughly throughout the home and car (don't forget the car seats!) If you don't know what lice or the nits look like, ask me to show you when you pick up your child. Also, the video below will help you with some of the steps to take. Most importantly, try not to be embarrassed. It happens to the best of us. If you ask around, most people have either lice or had a family member who had lice.
Lice is a very common problem in schools. According to the CDC, "an estimated 6 million to 12 million infestations occur each year in the United
States among children 3 to 11 years of age". So, why are elementary-aged children so susceptible to lice? Lice is transmitted by head-to-head contact. Lice do not fly or jump from head to head. Some of the ways that lice is transmitted from person to person are by sharing brushes, hats,or scarves; by lying on beds, pillows, or couches where someone with lice has lay; or by using the brush or comb of another person.
So, what is a parent to do when the dreaded call comes? First, follow the school nurse's instructions. I will provide different options to help guide you to managing and removing the lice. There are several over-the-counter medicated shampoos for the treatment of lice, but there are also prescription shampoos that you can get from your physician. The second step is to make sure all of the "nits", the lice eggs, are removed from the child's hair. This is a tedious and pain-staking process, but extremely important to do. Next, take measures in the home: wash all the bedding and clothing in hot water with which your child has come in contact in the past couple of days, pack any stuffed animals in a plastic bag and seal for 2 weeks, and vaccuum thoroughly throughout the home and car (don't forget the car seats!) If you don't know what lice or the nits look like, ask me to show you when you pick up your child. Also, the video below will help you with some of the steps to take. Most importantly, try not to be embarrassed. It happens to the best of us. If you ask around, most people have either lice or had a family member who had lice.