Head lice

Advice for children and parents

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Outline

What are head lice? What are nits?

How do we get head lice?

How do I know if I have head lice?

Detection combing: how to do it

If head lice are found, what do I have to do?

How can we prevent head lice?

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• Head lice aren’t found only in dirty hair !Head lice like all the heads with hair: dirty or clean,

brown, fair or red hair, long or short

• Having head lice isn’t a disease !It’s a normal infection which can be treated

Head lice are parasites which need human headsto live on

Head lice don’t transmit any diseases

It’s a myth…

What are head lice ?

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The Pediculus capitis:

• Is an insect– without wings

– 3 pair of legs

• Size– length: max. 4 mm

– height : 2 mm

• Colour – normally transparent = difficult to detect

– become brown/red when they have taken

a blood meal

What are head lice?

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• Habitat– They live in human hair, in warm

surroundings = behind the ears or around the nape of the neck

– They are parasites = they feed on human blood

• Mobility– Can swim – Cannot jump but

can move very quickly

What are head lice?

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Nits are not lice !

• Nits are empty shells or dead eggs

• They are attached to the hair with a kind of strong glue deposited by the louse during the laying

• Nits can remain weeks or even months after infection

What are nits?

How do we get head lice ?

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Head lice spread through contact :

• Direct contact : from one head to another

(by playing together, doing sports together …)

• Indirect contact :– from objects such as armchairs, scarves, hats,

towels… – in the swimming pool– by exchanging cycling helmets, brushes, combs …

• Head lice can infect anyone, not just children

How do we get head lice?

How do I know

if I have head lice ?

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• Some people will get an itchy scalp

• Some people don’t know they have head lice

Detection combing

is the best method to identify head lice

How do I know if I have head lice?

Detection combing: how to do it ?

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PREPARATION

• Get a special detection comb at your local pharmacy

• Remove tangles with an ordinary comb

• Divide the wet (towel dried) hair into sections

Detection combing: how to do it?

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STEP 1• With the teeth of the detection comb touching the

scalp at the top of the head, start combing

towards the end of the hair, keeping the teeth of

the comb in contact with the scalp as long as

possible. Work on one section at a time

STEP 2• Keep a close eye on the comb for any signs of

head lice. Wiping it on a tissue can help identify the head lice

STEP 3• Repeat the process moving round the whole of

the head. It will take 10 - 15 minutes to do it properly

Detection combing: how to do it?

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CONCLUSION

• If a living moving louse is found, you have head lice

• You must not be treated unless you find a living, moving louse

• Nits might be due to a previous infestation, but does not necessarily mean you are infected

Detection combing: how to do it?

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ADVICE

• Make sure you have plenty of light - ideally natural daylight

• You can put a white towel on the shoulders or comb the hair over a white surface (wash-basin, bath-tub or white table) to help see the lice falling out of the hair

• Perform detection combing on all family members and anyone who is likely to have had head-to-head contact with the infected person

Detection combing: how to do it?

If head lice are found,

what do I have to do ?

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STEP 1

• Go to your local pharmacy to buy an effective head lice treatment

STEP 2

• Read the leaflet before doing the treatment

STEP 3

• Treat all infected persons of the family the same day

STEP 4

• Inform school and everyone who was in close or regular contact over the last 2 weeks

If head lice are found, what do I have to do?

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ADVICE

• Decontaminate the environment to avoid re-infection– Change and wash bed linen and clothes at

60°C

– Everything which cannot be washed at 60°C, e.g. synthetic clothing, brushes, combs, armchairs, helmets, soft toys … can be decontaminate with a special treatment for the environment (insecticide aerosol)

If head lice are found, what do I have to do?

How can we prevent

head lice?

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We recommend that you:

• Tie back long hair• Wear a bathing cap in the swimming pool• Use a repellent at times of head lice epidemic • Avoid sharing clothing (scarf, hat, helmet…),

brushes or combs

If you find a living moving louse, tell anyone you have been in contact with. Advise them to use the detection method and if they find live lice, advise them to tell everyone they have been in contact with

How can we prevent head lice?

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The main points revised• A head louse isn’t dangerous but can be

very annoying. They can be transmitted by direct or indirect contact with infected people

• Detection combing helps you to identify head lice

– If lice are found: buy a head lice treatment at your local pharmacy and treat the infected person, the rest of the family and warn everyone who has been in close contact during the last two weeks

– If no lice are found: prevent head lice; be careful with sharing clothes and brushes, wear a bathing cap in the swimming pool and tie back long hair. Do a weekly check to be sure

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For more information:

http://www.paranix.eu