A Season for Lice?

Is there a season for lice?

The answer is no - lice outbreaks happen all year long! However, the start of holidays and back to school time can be a bit more hectic.

The reason why lice is so much more prevalent these days has little to do with poor hygiene. Lice are equally likely to be found on clean or dirty hair. It's because we travel more and lice travel with us!

Like the cockroach, head lice have been around for thousands of years. As with any insect, they learn to adapt to their environment in order to survive. We are never going to be completely rid of them, but we can make managing them easier.

The most common manner in which lice are spread is via head-to-head contact. This is because lice cannot jump, fly or hop; they can only transfer to another head by walking along strands of hair. It is possible that because of the way young children play, head lice are seen more widely amongst primary school children than adolescents or adults.

Is there a way to eradicate head lice?

No, because children should not be excluded and ostracized.

Take common sense measures to avoid head-to-head contact only if you know that someone else is infected.

Do check your child's head regularly even when you don’t think your child has head lice. An active infestation should be treated immediately. All household members and other close contacts should be checked but only treat those with live lice.

There is no single treatment that kills 100% of head lice or eggs. Head lice eggs take 6-7 days to hatch;so whichever treatment you choose, it should be repeated in seven days.