Lice Facts

Anyone can get head lice, however, children are more commonly affected by these small pests. They attach to the hair shaft and feed on blood from the scalp, causing itchiness. Having head lice is not a sign of being dirty or unclean. Head lice are generally not harmful; however they are extremely inconvenient and contagious when they occur. Most people don’t even know they are infested until live lice or nits are seen. Effective treatment requires a little time, patience and following directions. To treat and prevent lice, it helps to know more about them.

Lice Facts

  • Lice do not have wings, therefore can not fly. Lice also do not jump, they can only crawl.

  • Lice is most readily transmitted by direct head to head contact. Rarely is it transmitted by objects such as clothing or brushes.

  • Having lice is not a sign of poor hygiene, lice actually prefer clean hair. They spread through close contact or sharing hats, helmets, brushes, pillows, and other personal items

  • Lice rely on a human host to survive. Without a human host, they live less than 48 hours. Their nits (or eggs), can survive without body heat for about 10 days.

  • Only items that have been in direct contact with an infected person's head in the 24-48 hours before diagnosis need to be considered for cleaning.

  • Pediculicide (lice killing) spray should NOT be used.

  • Lice affects all socioeconomic groups, and evidence suggests that those with good hygiene may be infected more often.

  • Nits (eggs) are cemented to the hair shaft by the adult louse, and therefore can not 'fall off', or 'fly off" a person's head.

  • Nits can not be transmitted from one person to another, only live (crawling) lice.

  • Exclusion of children from school is not recommended, re: exposure has already occurred, and exclusion does not decrease transmission. 

  • The likelihood of transmission in schools is roughly 1%

  • Active infestations are most often identified in schools, due to trained staff with the ability to identify symptoms, nits, and live lice. This perpetuates the myth that students transmit lice in schools.

  • There is no evidence that school exclusion decreases the transmission of head lice, and evidence suggests exclusion increases absenteeism, shame, stigma, and unnecessary treatment.

  • Lice are not a health threat, and do not carry disease. They are merely a nuisance and an inconvenience. .

  • The right to privacy and confidentiality must be upheld for the student and family experiencing lice. This is the reason lice letters are no longer recommended. 

  • Preventative treatment is not recommended, and is unnecessary. Only people with active infections need to be treated.

  • Alert letters may violate privacy laws, and cause unnecessary public alarm. 

  • Your child is more likely to catch a cold, influenza, or strep at school than lice. 

Sebeka Public School follows the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and the National Association of School Nurses (NASN) for lice treatment and school exclusion.


Signs of Lice: The most common symptom of head lice is itching caused by the lice feeding on the scalp. Live lice are very small and can be difficult to see. They are about the size of a sesame seed and are tan, brown, or gray. Live lice are commonly seen crawling at the top of the head. Lice eggs are called nits. Nits are easier to see than lice because they are attached to the shaft of the hair and there are many more of them. Look for tiny, white, oval-sized eggs attached to the hair near the scalp. They are commonly seen behind the ears and around the nape of the neck. They may look like dandruff, but they cannot be removed from the hair by shaking, brushing or washing them.

Treatment: If your child has head lice, you will want to take quick action. Effective treatment includes using an over-the-counter medicated product as directed, removing nits with a fine-tooth comb and treating the environment.

More information regarding tips, products and treatment is available at www.nixlice.com

Additional information is available at: http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/idepc/diseases/headlice/index.html

https://www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/headlice/headlice.pdf