Head Lice (All Grade Levels)

Head lice is very common among children and is easily spread through head-to-head contact (sports, nap times, sharing personal items etc.). If it is determined that a student has lice or nits (lice eggs), the school nurse will contact the student’s parent to discuss a plan for treatment with an FDA-approved medicated shampoo or cream rinse that may be purchased from any drug or grocery store. Follow-up with the campus nurse is recommended after treatment to ensure all lice/nits are gone.

It is easy for someone to become infected with lice and often very difficult to get rid of them, unless you follow the complete treatment listed below.  Home treatment of this condition can be rapid and simple:

• Put on clean clothing.
• Machine wash and dry, on HIGH HEAT, all clothing and bedding.  Place stuffed animals in plastic bags for 10 days and then remove and vacuum or wash in hot water and dry in the dryer.
• Clothing or bedding that cannot be washed may be dried in the dryer on high for 20 minutes.
• Vacuum furniture and carpet, also inside of vehicles.
• Boil combs, and brushes 5 minutes or soak one hour in the solution used to treat the hair. This includes hair ties, headbands, hair bows etc.
• Check all family members.  Use the same treatment on anyone else having lice.  Unless the whole family is FREE OF “NITS” OR LICE AT THE SAME TIME, YOU WILL CONTINUE TO HAVE A PROBLEM.
• If your child sleeps with another family member treat that person also, whether he/she has nits or not.
• Instruct your child not to use anyone else’s hat, cap, scarf, coat, comb, brushes, or hair bows etc.
• Repeat the shampoo treatment in 7-10 days.  While the medication rapidly kills crawling lice, it does not kill the nits (lice eggs). All nits need to be removed.
• Blow-drying hair twice a day also helps in reducing nits.

READ DIRECTIONS CAREFULLY, SOME MEDICATION GOES ON DRY, WHILE OTHER MEDICATIONS ARE APPLIED TO WET HAIR.

http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/schoolhealth/lice.shtm?terms=lice