Head Lice

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Head lice are very small, tan-colored insects (less than 1/8 of an inch long) that live on human heads. They lay their eggs or nits on the hair. The eggs are tiny (about the size of the eye of a small needle) and gray or white in color.

Lice feed on human blood, but head lice are not known to spread disease.

Lice exist worldwide and are often found in the hair, bedding or clothing of infested persons.

The symptoms of lice include:

• Intense itching, tickling feeling in hair or on body
• Irritability
• Difficulty sleeping
• Visible scratch marks on the scalp and back of the neck at the hairline
• Visible crawling lice, eggs (nits) glued to the hair and often found behind the ears and at the back of the neck at the hairline
  

Head-to-head contact with an infested person is the most common method of spreading head lice. Sharing clothing or belongings with an infested person can also spread lice. 

• Avoid sharing clothing or belongings (such as combs, brushes, bobby pins, hats, scarves, jackets, blankets, sheets, pillowcases, headphones, etc.)
• Bathe regularly
• Avoid head-to-head contact
  

Pediculicides are medicines available to treat lice infestation. The most common form of this medicine is in a shampoo. The hair of the infested person should be thoroughly washed with this shampoo.  

It is important to follow the package directions. Do not repeat treatment sooner or more frequently than instructed by the manufacturer without consulting you health care provider.

Any bed sheets, clothing, hats, or other machine-washable materials that come in contact with an infested person must be thoroughly washed in water that is at least 130 degrees Fahrenheit.  

Vacuum upholstered furniture and remove the vacuum bag immediately. All stuffed animals or fabric toys should be placed in a plastic bag and sealed for three days. Head lice cannot live off of the human body for more than three days.

The CDC does not recommend removing a child from school or a day care setting if he/she is found to have lice. The same goes for adults in a work setting. Lice can easily be treated after going home at the end of the day and be gone by the next day.

For more information online, you can visit the Centers for Disease Control at http://www.cdc.gov/lice.

Or, for more information on the Health Department’s programs, please call 859.363.2070.