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What are Head Lice?
Otherwise known as Pediculus humanus capitis, head lice are parasitic insects found on the heads of humans.
Who is at Risk for Head Lice?
Anyone who has close contact with an infested person, especially head-to-head contact, is at greatest risk. It is possible to catch head lice from sharing personal items with an infested individual, such as hairbrushes, towels, hats, scarves, or coats. Individuals who are at the greatest risk of contracting head lice are those who share these items, primarily females and children ages 3 to 11. In the U.S., African Americans rarely contract head lice. In North America, head lice prefer hair that is round in shape when it is cut horizontally. People typically possessing this type of hair include Caucasians, Asians, Pacific Islanders, and Hispanics. African American hair is typically oval-shaped and hard for the North American Lice to grasp.
What are the Signs & Symptoms of Head Lice?
The most common symptom of head lice is intense itching or tickling on the scalp. This occurs when the lice bite the scalp and suck the blood that is released. Sores may also develop from repeated scratching, and may progress to an infection.
What am I Looking for?
Nits - These are head lice eggs. They are very small in size, usually about the size of a knot of thread. They are oval in shape and range from yellow to white in color. These eggs are layed at the base of the hair
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shaft and do not hatch for approximately 7 to 10 days. Most eggs that are likely to hatch will be found within ¼ inch of the scalp. Usually hatched eggs appear white in color, whereas developing eggs are dark in color. They may look like dandruff, but are stuck onto the hair shaft.
Nymphs - Otherwise called "baby lice." They look like adult lice, but smaller in size. They mature to adults in 7 days. They must feed on blood to mature and live.
Louse - This is the term for a single adult. Adult lice have 6 legs, each leg has a claw at the end to grasp onto the hair. They vary in color from tan to gray. Due to the constant body temperature of humans, female lice are able to breed continuously throughout the year.
How is Head Lice Treated?
Critical Steps to Controlling Lice Infestations:
Use an effective lice removal treatment
Complete nit removal with special comb
Removal of nits from exposed environment by washing, vacuuming, or freezing any suspected items
Daily hair checks with nit removal until infestation is gone, followed by weekly hair checks to identify reinfestation
See Table on page 3 for products
What are Some Myths about Head Lice?
Lice can fly, jump, or hop as a mechanism of transmission to another person.
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Lice do not have wings and cannot jump. They do move quickly, but lice can only be
transmitted to another person via direct contact. If a louse falls, it must find a new host or face death within 1 to 2 days.
Fluffy or Spot gave me lice!
Lice can only live on humans. While the family pet can serve as a means of transmission,
much like a stuffed animal, hairbrush, scarf, or coat, lice will not infest your pet.
Lice can transmit diseases from person to person.
Head lice have not been linked to any transmission of infectious disease to date.
For additional information talk with your physician or pharmacist. You may also find helpful information on this topic by visiting www.headlice.org or www.kidshealth.org/parent/infections/common/lice.html.
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