Information about Lice
- Lice live on human heads and feed on human blood
- Lice do not live on animals
- Lice can't fly, jump or hop
- Lice are unlikely to re-infest after coming off a head
- Lice are spread mainly by head-to-head contact
- Lice like clean or dirty hair
- Lice do not carry disease
- Lice lay 3 to 10 eggs (nits) a day; nits hatch after 5 to 10 days
- Lice lay 100 to 300 eggs (nits) before they die
How to Prevent Head Lice
- Avoid direct head-to-head contact with people
- Don't share brushes, combs, ribbons, hats, helmets, or hair ties
- Keep long hair tied up or pulled back
- Brush hair regularly with a close bristled brush
Treatments
- Lice can be resistant to pediculocides (chemical treatments- not recommended for children under 3 years of age)
- No matter what treatment is used, all nits must be removed to eradicate lice.
- Recommend the use of a metal nit comb and manual removal (nit picking) to remove all nits.
- Olive oil on hair for 8 or more hours, it has its own insecticidal properties, it smothers and kills active head lice. Use it daily for up to 3 weeks.
- Treatment is not complete until ALL nits are removed.
For More Information Contact Your School Nurse
