September 2nd, 2010
If your child experiences excessive itching on her head, you might need to check if she or he has got head lice. Start from examining your child’s head, especially behind the ears and at the nape of the neck, for nits and lice. If you find live lice or nits, all household members should be examined for nits and lice every 2-3 days. Then begin treatment right away.
Don’t panic and be sure to inform the parents of your child’s playmates and your child’s school or child care facility. Don’t feel embarrassed as head lice has nothing do to with animals in the house or whether your house is clean or not. Your child probably got it from playing with other children.
Tags: check for head lice, Head Lice
Posted in Head Lice, Lice Control
August 13th, 2010
As mothers, especially working mothers with small children, the last thing you want to hear is that your kids got sick or head lice. Since head lice spread from head-to-head contact, cleaning your house and wash the pillow cases everyday doesn’t help.
The most important thing to do is to make sure your children avoid head-to-head (hair-to-hair) contact during play and other activities at home and school. Be careful when your children are at other activities such as sports, playground, slumber parties, and camp.
Make sure your children know not to share clothing such as hats, scarves, coats, sports uniforms, hair ribbons, or barrettes.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Tags: avoid hair-to-hair contact, avoid head-to-head contact, getting head lice, Head Lice, prevent head lice, risk for getting head lice
Posted in Head Lice, Lice Prevention
August 9th, 2010
Many moms worry that head lice would hop from one child’s head to another. The truth is, head lice can hop or fly. Instead they craw!
Head lice are spread by direct contact with the hair of an infested person. If you child comes in head-to-head contact with another child who already has head lice is at greatest risk.
Unlike common belief that head lice can be spread from hats, scarfs, jackets, or even combos, hair brushes, or towels that are used by the head lice infested person isn’t that common. To many people’s surprise, getting head lice has nothing to do with how often the child takes a bath or how clean if the house.
Tags: Head Lice, Head lice cannot hop, Head lice don't fly, risk for getting head lice
Posted in Head Lice
July 29th, 2010
Head lice is annoying, particularly if you have smaller children at home who need your full attention. Head lice can be a serious nuisance. The only good news is that they have not been shown to spread diseases. So don’t panic if your 7-year old got head lice from school and you have 2 more little ones at home.
Most schools and daycare centers do not have “No-nits” policies. “No-nits” policy requires a child to be free of nits before they can return to school. Health care professionals recommend that children should be permitted to return to school or child care after appropriate treatment is started.
Tags: Head Lice
Posted in Head Lice
May 28th, 2010
- Do not use extra amounts of any lice medication unless instructed to do so by your physician and pharmacist. The drugs used to treat lice are insecticides and can be dangerous if they are misused or overused.
- Do not treat an infested person more than 2-3 times with the same medication if it does not seem to be working. This may be caused by using the medicine incorrectly or by resistance to the medicine. Always seek the advice of your health care provider if this should happen. He/she may recommend an alternative medication.
- Do not use different head lice drugs at the same time unless instructed to do so by your physician and pharmacist.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Tags: Head Lice, Head lice Treatment
Posted in Lice Treatment
April 4th, 2010
If you aren’t sure which medicine to use or how to use a particular medicine, always ask your physician, pharmacist, or other health care provider. When using a medicine, always carefully follow the instructions contained in the package or written on the label, unless the physician and pharmacist direct otherwise.
Posted in Lice Treatment
March 28th, 2010
The following medications approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of head lice are available only by prescription.
- Malathion lotion 0.5%;
Brand name product: Ovide*
Malathion is an organophosphate. Malathion lotion 0.5% is approved by the FDA for the treatment of head lice. The formulation of malathion approved in the United States for the treatment of head lice is a lotion that is safe and effective when used as directed. Malathion is pediculicidal (kills live lice) and partially ovicidal (kills some lice eggs). A second treatment is recommended if live lice still are present 7-9 days after treatment. Malathion is intended for use on persons 6 years of age and older. Malathion can be irritating to the skin and scalp; contact with the eyes should be avoided. Malathion lotion is flammable; do not smoke or use electrical heat sources, including hair dryers, curlers, and curling or flat irons, when applying malathion lotion and while the hair is wet. See our information on treating with Malathion for more details.
- Lindane shampoo 1%;
Brand name products: None available
Lindane is an organochloride. Although lindane shampoo 1% is approved by the FDA for the treatment of head lice, it is not recommended as a first-line therapy. Overuse, misuse, or accidentally swallowing lindane can be toxic to the brain and other parts of the nervous system; its use should be restricted to patients who have failed treatment with or cannot tolerate other medications that pose less risk. Lindane should not be used to treat premature infants, persons with a seizure disorder, women who are pregnant or breast-feeding, persons who have very irritated skin or sores where the lindane will be applied, infants, children, the elderly, and persons who weigh less than 110 pounds.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Tags: Head Lice, Head lice Treatment, Prescription Head Lice Medications
Posted in Head Lice, Lice Treatment
March 21st, 2010
Many head lice medications are available “over-the-counter” without a prescription at a local drug store or pharmacy. Each over-the-counter product approved for the treatment of head lice contains one of the following active ingredients.
- Pyrethrins (pie-WREATH-rins) combined with piperonyl butoxide (pie-PER-a-nil beu-TOX-side);
Brand name products: A-200*, Pronto*, R&C*, Rid*, Triple X*.
Pyrethrins are naturally occurring pyrethroid extracts from the chrysanthemum flower. Pyrethrins are safe and effective when used as directed. Pyrethrins can only kill live lice, not unhatched eggs (nits). A second treatment is recommended in 9-10 days to kill any newly hatched lice before they can produce new eggs. Treatment failures can be common depending on whether lice are resistant to pyrethrins in the patient’s geographic location. Pyrethrins generally should not be used by persons who are allergic to chrysanthemums or ragweed.
- Permethrin lotion 1% (per-meth-rin);
Brand name product: Nix*.
Permethrin is a synthetic pyrethroid similar to naturally occurring pyrethrins. Permethrin lotion 1% is approved by the FDA for the treatment of head lice. Permethrin is safe and effective when used as directed. Permethrin kills live lice but not unhatched eggs. Permethrin may continue to kill newly hatched lice for several days after treatment. A second treatment often is necessary in 9-10 days to kill any newly hatched lice before they can produce new eggs. Treatment failures can be common depending whether lice are resistant to permethrin in the patient’s geographic location. Permethrin is not approved for use in children less than 2 years old.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Tags: Head Lice, Over-the-counter Lice Medications
Posted in Lice Treatment
March 17th, 2010
- Avoid head-to-head (hair-to-hair) contact during play and other activities at home, school, and elsewhere (sports activities, playground, slumber parties, camp). Lice are spread most commonly by direct head-to-head (hair-to-hair) contact and much less frequently by sharing clothing or belongings onto which lice or nits may have crawled or fallen.
- Do not share clothing such as hats, scarves, coats, sports uniforms, hair ribbons, or barrettes.
- Do not share infested combs, brushes, or towels.
- Do not lie on beds, couches, pillows, rugs, carpets, or stuffed animals that have recently been in contact with an infested person.
- To help control a head lice outbreak in a community, school, or camp, children can be taught to avoid activities that may spread head lice.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Tags: Head Lice, Prevent Reinfestation, Treatment of the infested person
Posted in Head Lice, Lice Treatment
March 11th, 2010
Head lice do not survive long if they fall off a person and cannot feed. You don’t need to spend a lot of time or money on housecleaning activities. Follow these steps to help avoid re-infestation by lice that have recently fallen off the hair or crawled onto clothing or furniture.
- Machine wash and dry clothing, bed linens, and other items that the infested person wore or used during the 2 days before treatment using the hot water (130°F) laundry cycle and the high heat drying cycle. Clothing and items that are not washable can be dry-cleaned
OR
sealed in a plastic bag and stored for 2 weeks.
- Soak combs and brushes in hot water (at least 130°F) for 5-10 minutes.
- Vacuum the floor and furniture, particularly where the infested person sat or lay. However, the risk of getting infested by a louse that has fallen onto a rug or carpet carpet or furniture is very small. Head lice survive less than 1-2 days if they fall off a person and cannot feed; nits cannot hatch and usually die within a week if they are not kept at the same temperature as that found close to the human scalp. Spending much time and money on housecleaning activities is not necessary to avoid reinfestation by lice or nits that may have fallen off the head or crawled onto furniture or clothing.
- Do not use fumigant sprays; they can be toxic if inhaled or absorbed through the skin.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Tags: Head Lice, Head lice Treatment, Treatment of the infested person
Posted in Lice Treatment