Do family and friends need treatment for head lice?
Only if they have head lice. All people in the same home, and other close 'head to head' contacts of the previous 4-6 weeks should be contacted. Tell them to look for lice and treat if necessary. (It used to be advised to treat all close contacts even if they had no symptoms. This has changed to just treating people who have head lice.) All people with head lice in the same home should be treated at the same time. This stops lice being passed around again.
What about school?
Children with head lice should carry on going to school. Contrary to popular belief, head lice do not spread quickly through schools. Alarming 'head lice letters' from schools are unhelpful. You need close head-to-head contact to pass lice on to others. Young children who are 'best friends' and play closely together may pass lice on. If your child has head lice, a common-sense approach is to tell the parents of their close friends to look out for lice in their children.
Can head lice be prevented?
There is no good way of preventing head lice. Lice repellent sprays do not work very well. If you do detection combing of children's hair every week or so, you will detect lice soon after they have affected the hair. You can then start treatment quickly and reduce the risk of passing them on to others.
Some other points about head lice
*Use an anti-lice lotion only when you are sure that you or your child have head lice. Do not use them to prevent head lice, or 'just in case'. Frequent use may cause a build up of small amounts of the active ingredient in the body. The risk of harm from this is very small, but it is best to use anti-lice lotions only when lice are present. *A common reason for head lice to recur in one person is because close contacts (family and close friends) are not checked for head lice, and not treated if they have head lice. The treated person is then likely to get head lice back again from untreated family or friends. *After treatment and the lice have gone, it may take 2-3 weeks for the itch to go fully. *Nits may remain after lice have gone. They are empty egg shells and stick strongly to hair. They will eventually fall out. If you prefer, a fine toothed 'nit comb' can remove them. A final reminder - alcohol based lotions are flammable. Some children have been badly burnt as their hair caught fire whilst being treated. Keep children away from fires, cigarettes, flames, etc, whilst any alcohol based lotion is in their hair. © EMIS and PIP 2007 Updated: January 2007 PRODIGY ValidatedAverage rating:
Karen Coyne, over 2 years
I found the basic treatment advice on the NHS Direct website. What I am looking for is advice on killing them from bed linens and towels. For example after washing in the hotest wash, should they be tumble dried on hot, or is the washing line outside sufficient? If you have an answer I sure would appreciate your advice!
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