Welcome and What's New
Welcome to the Hampstead School District. The Mission of the HSD Health Office is to promote quality school health services to advance the well-being, academic success and lifelong achievements of our students. The school nurses help facilitate positive student responses to normal development; promote and protect student health and safety; intervene with actual and potential health problems; provide case management services; and actively collaborate with others to build student and family capacity for adaptation, self-management, self-advocacy and learning. We are glad you are part of our HSD school community. Please don't hesitate to call or email if we can be of assistance.
Head Lice (Pediculosis)
Head lice is occasionally an issue at school. The best way to protect your child from getting head lice is through prevention. Routine and regular head inspections at home are important. Teaching your child to avoid head-to-head contact and sharing of personal equipment such as combs, brushes, hats and helmets, as well as pillows and bedding at sleepovers, is the best means of protection. Maintaining personal distance helps. All cases of head lice are handled on an individual basis. Protection of student confidentiality and student dignity is our highest priority. When a student is found with head lice at school, a parent will be notified so that treatment can begin promptly. Close contacts of the child may also be screened. As the school nurse, I am here to support these efforts and offer assistance as needed. Please call the health office if you need help with identification or further information. Information about identification and treatment of head lice can be found at:
IMPORTANT FACTS ABOUT HEAD LICE
Head lice are parasitic insects that only attack humans.
Head lice thrive on the scalp and are often found behind the ears and near the neckline at the back of the head. They can also be found on eyebrows and eyelashes.
Head lice stay alive by sucking blood from the human scalp.
Head lice are very small. They can be tan, brown or grey.
Head lice are spread through direct head-to-head contact.
Head lice eggs (nits) might be mistaken for dandruff.
Once head lice have fallen off a person’s head, they die within 1-2 days.
Itching is the main symptom of head lice caused by an allergy to lice saliva or lice droppings.
Anyone can get head lice. They know no socio-economic or ethnic boundaries.
LIFE CYCLE OF HEAD LICE
A female head louse lays eggs by cementing them to hairs (often close to the root).
After 7 to 10 days the nymph louse hatches out of the egg, leaving a shiny white empty eggshell (nit) - which can be found anywhere along the hair strand.
Head lice feed by biting the scalp and feeding on blood.
Head lice take 6 to 10 days to become fully mature and typically live for about 25 to 30 days.
Once mature the head lice can move from head to head if direct contact is made.
A female head louse can lay eggs as early as 7 days after she's hatched and produce 4 to 6 eggs per day.
She has between 18 to 28 days to lay her eggs, which equates to between 50 and 150 eggs within her lifetime.
To break the cycle and stop lice spreading, head lice need to be removed within 7 days of hatching.
WHO SHOULD GET THE FLU VACCINE?
Children 6 months to 5 years of age
Adults 65 years of age and older
Pregnant women
Healthcare workers
If you suffer from Asthma, Heart Disease, Diabetes, Weakened Immune Systems
Caregivers of Children under 5
WHO SHOULD NOT GET THE FLU VACCINE?
Children under 6 months of age
If you are allergic to eggs
If you had a severe reaction to a flu vaccine in the past
If you have a moderate or severe illness/fever, you should wait OR people who have a moderate or severe illness/fever should wait