Head Lice

Head lice are small, wingless, grayish color insects that reside in human hair and thrive on human blood. Their scientific name is Pediculus humanus capitis. Lice can infest any person irrespective of his age, race or social status. Head lice infestations are mostly seen in young children and adolescents. Head lice lay their eggs, also known as nits, on the hair shafts, close to the scalp. These nits adhere firmly to the hair and so, can’t be washed away easily.

Although head lice don’t spread any disease, they can be a nuisance or source of irritation as they cause constant itching.

Head lice are contagious and can rapidly spread from person-to-person. They cannot jump or fly, but can spread through head-to-head contact with an infested person. Besides, an adult louse can survive for up to 1-2 days without feeding on the human scalp. Hence, lice can also be found on objects, which have been in contact with the infested person.

Children are not very careful about using each other’s combs and brushes. Nor do they think anything about trying on a friends “cool” hat. Then the unsuspecting child that has become infected with the hair lice brings them home.

In school, your children play and fall, bump and crash into each other. If your child’s friend has head lice, your child runs the risk of getting infested by lice.

Clothing items such as coats and jackets are often kept together in schools or child-care centers. If the coat or jacket of even a single student contains head lice, there are chances of lice spreading to clothes of other students.

Children can be very careless, when it comes to maintaining personal hygiene. In school, they may exchange or share their hairbrushes or combs, hair ribbons, coats or other clothing items with their friends. If any of your children’s friends have a lice infestation, there’s a possibility your child will become infested by head lice.

This way, unsuspecting children get infested by head lice and bring them home. Thereafter, lice can spread among family members through direct physical contact. They can also spread by sharing towels, napkins, pillows and hair accessories. They can also spread through bed sheets, mattresses, stuffed toys and clothes.

Now that you are aware of the ways in which head lice spread, ensure to take necessary precautions to prevent your child and other family members from getting infested by head lice.