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