Children's Health

Headlice and Nits: ‘Oh no, headlice again!’ is a common refrain from parents with nursery and school age children. It’s not surprising when it’s estimated that 1 in 10 primary school children have headlice at any one time. The difficulty is that headlice are not fussy - any head will do (poor hygiene is not a cause) - and they spread rapidly when small heads get together. And although headlice make your child’s scalp itch and are a bit uncomfortable - getting rid of them is actually the biggest pain of all.

Headlice are about 2mm long. They live on the child’s head, feeding by drawing blood from their scalp. Their eggs are called nits, and these are tiny brownish and oval shaped. The female headlouse lays about 6 to 8 eggs each night, and these take eight days to hatch. Once the baby louse emerges, the egg shell appears more white, and this is when you usually see them attached to the shaft of hair (plus of course your child starts scratching their head). The headlice themselves are often very difficult to see at all without the aid of a magnifying glass.

	See your local pharmacy who will have a stock of special lotions and shampoos (both alcohol and water based) to get rid of headlice.
	Follow the instructions carefully.
	If your child has scalp eczema, or through scratching, an irritated scalp, go for a water based lotion.
	Treat the whole family’s heads whilst you’re about it.
	A fine-toothed headlice comb might be useful but make sure you follow the useage instructions carefully.
Once you’ve got rid of headlice there are some preventative measures you can take.
	Wash combs and hairbrushes when you treat their heads.
	Wash your child’s hair regularly and inspect for eggs and head lice each time using a special nit comb.
	Tell the school so that all the children in the class can be checked - this prevents reinfestation.
	Don’t let your child share hats, towels and hairbrushes.