1. Service Personnel Development Program
Head Lice
Chapter 5
Section IV
of the
Pest Bear & Affiliates
Service Personnel Development Program
2005
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2. Head Lice are a common problem that can affect anyone, at any age.
However they are most commonly found in school-age children.
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3. Questions to be answered:
What are head lice, and what to they look like?
How do you get head lice and how do they spread?
How do head lice live and multiply?
Do only certain types of people get head lice?
What to look for when checking for head lice?
How do you get rid of head lice?
Should eggs (nits) be removed?
Can you still get head lice after you have been treated?
Should the home or school be treated if head lice are found?
What can a person do to prevent head lice in their family?
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4. What are head lice, and what do they look like?
Head lice are small, flat insects.
The adults are about 1/8 inch in length.
They have no wings, so they cannot fly or jump.
Their color varies from a dirty white to grayish black.
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5. How does a person get head lice, and how are they spread?
HEAD LICE ARE SPREAD BY:
Direct contact with the hair, such as when children hug or play.
By sharing personal items such as brushes, combs, towels, hats, caps, and head gear.
Although rare, sharing lockers and coat racks at school has been associated with the spread of lice.
participation in contact sports, and sharing of training head gear are some of the most common ways head lice are spread.
Lice may leave the head:
When there is physical contact with another head
Whey they are displaced by combing or brushing
When they are removed with hats or other head gear
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6. How do head lice live?
The adult female head louse lays her eggs (nits) at the base of the hair near the scalp.
Eggs hatch in about 8 to 9 days
The newly hatched louse (nymph) will suck blood for food and shed its skin (molt) three times as it develops into an adult over a 10-day period.
The young lice and adults live their entire lives on the head, feeding on blood.
The entire life cycle lasts about 3 weeks.
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7. How fast do head lice multiply?
Head lice are completely dependent on human heads for warmth and food.
They need 4-5 blood meals each day and lay six to eight eggs a day.
The eggs are glued to the hair shaft very close to the scalp.
Head lice only live about days.
They die in 1 to 2 days when removed from the head, and eggs die soon after being removed from the warm scalp.
Head lice do not wander about rugs, furniture, or school buses seeking a host.
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8. Do only certain types of people get head lice?
There are no social or economic barriers to the head louse.
Lice do not prefer clean to dirty hair.
They are more common on children 3 to 12 because of their close contact with each other.
Head lice will readily live on adults or pets if given the opportunity.
Close contact and a lack of awareness of why their heads itch make young children more susceptible to head lice.
African-American children get head lice much less often than children of other backgrounds do, apparently because of a difference in the structure of the hair shaft.
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9. What do you look for when checking for head lice?
Living adults and nymphs are signs of an active infestation. Both can move quickly and shy away from light, making them difficult to see.
The eggs are easier to see than the adults. Eggs are most commonly found at the back of the neck, behind the ears and at the crown of the head.
When eggs are first deposited, they are glued to the hair shaft near the scalp. As the hair grows, however, the attached egg is moved farther and farther from the scalp, providing a general indication of the length of time since the original infestation occurred.
Itching and skin irritation at feeding sites are associated with head lice.
In children, head lice may cause inattention in school and loss of sleep because of the itching.
Skin irritation could take several weeks to develop, so newly infested people may not be aware that they have head lice.
Dark fecal spots on pillow cases and on light colored collars can indicate the presence of head lice. If these spots are found, check the head to confirm the presence of lice.
Debris and hair oil can be mistaken for lice eggs. Since the egg is glued to the shaft, any debris that can slide easily up and down the hair is not an egg.
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10. Review of how to spot head lice...
Look for eggs at the back of the neck, behind the ears, and at the crown of the head
As hair grows eggs move farther away from the scalp, indicating the original infestation occurrence.
Itching, skin irritation, inattention, and loss of sleep in children can be signs of head lice infestation.
Dark fecal spots on pillow cases and on light colored collars can indicate the presence of head lice.
If debris in the hair slides easily up and down the hair it is not head lice.
Living adults and nymphs are signs of an infestation.
Can we go over that one more time??
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11. How do you get rid of head lice?
All members of the family should be examined when head lice are found. Only those showing evidence of infestation should be treated.
All infested family members should be treated at the same time to prevent reinfestation from one family member to another.
Three different insecticides are labeled for head lice control and are available at most drug stores:
Natural pyrethrin formulations
A synthetic pyrethroid, such as permethrin (Nix)
Lindane, labeled as Kwell
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12. Getting rid of head lice...
NATURAL PYRETHRIN FORMULATIONS- are effective but have very little residual activity.
SYNTHETIC PYRETHROID PERMETHRIN (NIX)- is effective and has a 10-day to 2-week residual effect after application.
Both the natural pyrethrins and Nix may be purchased over the counter at most drug stores.
LINDANE (KWELL)- is effective but is sold only with a prescription. It takes longer to kill adults and nymphs than the other insecticides.
Treatment usually involves wetting the hair with the insecticide formulation, allowing it to remain a certain length of time, and then shampooing it out.
Be sure to follow label instructions and use ONLY products labeled for head louse control.
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13. Getting rid of head lice...
Remove clothing from the upper body before treatment, and use a towel to protect the eyes. Confine the treatment to the scalp and neck, and administer it over a sink - not in a shower or bathtub.
Consult a physician before treating anyone who has extensive scratches or cuts on the head or neck or anyone who is ill or using medications.
Lice or nits in the eyebrows or eyelashes, on an infant, or on pregnant women should be removed by hand.
DO NOT use an insecticide in the eye area.
Neither KWELL nor various over-the-counter pyrethrin formulations will kill all the eggs in the hair. When using these products a second treatment is essential to kill young lice hatching from the eggs not killed in the first treatment.
98 to 99 percent of subjects treated with a single treatment of Nix were louse-free after 14 days. Nix leaves a residue in the hair that protects against reinfestation for up to 2-weeks.
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14. Should eggs (nits) be removed?
Authorities in school systems, recognizing that some insecticides do not kill every egg, often require that all eggs (nits) be removed from the child’s head after treatment before the child is allowed back in school.
The “no-nit” policy reduces exposure to an insecticide (with one treatment rather than two).
It makes reinspection of returning children easier for school and health authorities, because they don’t have to distinguish between live and dead eggs.
Dead nits and empty egg shells remain glued to the hair shaft and can create the appearance of reinfestation.
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15. Removing Nits and Eggs...
Nits can be removed with a special lice comb often included with an insecticide treatment kit.
Nit combing is easier when the hair is damp.
They can also be removed with fingernails or cut out with small scissors.
When small children have been treated, parents should make a daily inspection for at least 10 days after the initial treatment and nit removal.
Retreatment is necessary if nits or lice are found during this period.
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16. Can you still have lice after you have been treated?
Several factors may make a louse control treatment unsuccessful.
The treatment is inadequate or not properly administered.
A second treatment is not given when needed or recommended.
The treated individual becomes reinfested.
Remember, head lice are a community problem. Treating an individual without inspecting (and treating, if necessary) classmates, close friends, or relatives is likely to cause reinfestation. The whole group close to the infested person should be inspected.
In the case of school, the inspection should be done by trained school personnel or by county health personnel so that everyone infested can be treated at the same time. Regular inspections using a “no-nit policy” will ensure that there are no reinfestations.
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17. Should the home or school be treated if head lice are found?
There is no evidence that applying insecticides to rugs, floors, furniture, classrooms, or school buses has any benefit in head lice control. These often cause unnecessary exposure to insecticides.
Most experts on louse control recommend following these extra steps at the time of the first treatment:
After removing nits, change clothing and bed linens.
Machine-wash hats, scarves, and bed linen at 140 degrees or dry them at high heat for at least 20 minutes. Dry-clean clothing that is not machine-washable.
Soak combs and brushes for 1 hour in 2-percent Lysol solution or put them in a pan of water heated to 150 degrees for 5 to 10 minutes.
As an added precaution, vacuum chairs and lounging areas used by the infested person.
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18. What can I do to prevent head lice in my family?
When you hear of head lice in your community, check the heads of family members daily for evidence of lice for at least 10 days.
Discourage the sharing of combs, brushes, hats, and other head gear.
Discourage small children from hugging or engaging in other activities in which their heads or hair come in contact.
Encourage daily brushing and combing of hair. Lice do not like disturbances and will grip surrounding hairs with all six legs to avoid being removed. If a comb or brush damages the louse, it will die.
Cooperate with your county health or school officials by following the control strategy they recommend. Treating one child in an infested group will usually result in reinfestation.
It is no disgrace to have head lice. If a member of your family gets head lice (especially small children), let everyone with whom the person has had close contact know of the infestation. These people should be checked for head lice, too.
The greatest friends head lice have are people who fear the social stigma and treat their head lice secretly.
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