Head lice

Although not painful or a serious health hazard, head lice are the cause of much embarrassment and misunderstanding, many unnecessary days lost from school and work, and millions of dollars spent on remedies and shampoos.

The information on this page is meant to help you learn to recognize head lice, and how to prevent and treat it. Your school nurse is ready to assist you with any questions or concerns you may have about this common problem in school-aged children.

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Facts About Head Lice

Lice do not cause serious health problems. They may itch, but do not cause pain. Secondary infections from scratching are rare.
Lice usually live on a child’s head for about a month before they are discovered.
Methods to prevent lice transmission should be consistently practiced at all times. It is advisable to routinely check your child's head for lice and nits (eggs).
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that healthy children should not be excluded from, or allowed to miss school because of head lice. Children should be treated after school hours and return to school the next day.

Live lice crawl, they do not fly or jump.
Nits are the lice eggs attached to the hair shaft.
Lice can infest anyone.
Off the head, adult lice usually cannot survive for more that 1-2 days. Nits off the hair will die within hours of hatching.
A home / school / room cannot be chemically treated (exterminated) for lice.
To protect yourself, wear long hair up.
Do not share combs, brushes, scarves or hats.

Head Lice Symptoms and Treatment

Your child may have head lice if he or she has:

Intense itching of the head/scalp.
Tickling feeling from hair movement.
Lice found on hair, scalp, or clothing.
Nits (lice eggs) seen on hair shafts.
Small red bumps on the scalp and neck.

If you think your child may have lice, but are not sure, you can ask your school nurse to check your child's head. It is usually not necessary to see your child's primary care provider. You can use nonprescription lice shampoo along with daily removal of nits to treat. See your health care provider if your child's head lice do not respond to the over-the-counter treatment or if he or she has any infected scalp lesions or abrasions from scratching.

Information adapted from: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/lice/symptoms-causes/syc-20374399