Treatment & Prevention of Head Lice Infestation Wild ChildTM Head lice are tiny insects which live their entire lives on the human scalp. Our blood is their food. Lice spread from person to person by hair-to-hair contact. They cannot fly or jump; they can only crawl. Outbreaks are common among school children as they are in daily close contact.

Signs of Head Lice:

• Nits (the eggs of the head louse) are small yellowish-white, oval shaped eggs that are 'glued' at an angle at the base of a hair shaft. They can resemble fine dandruff but cannot be brushed out.
• Lice themselves - The adult louse is about 2mm long and varies in colour from whitish-brown to reddish-brown. The louse moves quickly whan disturbed - you may only catch a glimpse.
• Itchy scalp - Lice bites, even though they result in generalized scratching, are usually not apparent on the scalp. If you noticed scratching look for the nits at the base of the hair shaft.

Life Cycle: It takes 7 - 10 days for a nit to hatch and another 7 - 10 days for the female to mature and begin laying eggs of her own. Head lice live for about 30 days on a host and a female louse may lay up to 100 nits.

Treatment:
There are a number of chemical based preparations available from your pharmacist. These products fall into 3 groups namely: Pyrethrins, Synthetic Pyrethroids (Permetrin and Bioallethrin) and Organophosphates (Malathion and Maldison). All of these products are toxic pesticides which can be potentially dangerous if used too frequently or incorrectly. They should not be used on infants under 6 months, asthmatics, people suffering from scalp conditions or pregnant or nursing mothers. There is even evidence to suggest that the headlice develop resistance to these pesticides making them considerably less effective.

As an alternative there a number of natural treatments on the market. The use of one of these combined with diligent nit combing is a safer option in erradicating this nuisance.

Remember, after any treatment to wash all combs, brushes, headwear (including ribbons) and current bed linen in hot water.

Prevention:
Ordinary and consistent hair care is the best way to discourage head lice as they are fragile and easily damaged.

• shampoo regularly
• brush vigorously (at least once a day)
• inspect scalp weekly
• keep long hair tied back
• don't share combs, brushes and head gear
• don't routinely use a chemical based treatment as a preventative, however there are some natural preventatives available which can help during times of outbreak.

NOTE: In most countries head lice do not carry or transmit disease. However, their bites often cause scalp itch. If the itch is scratched, scalp infection may follow. Head lice are a nuisance, and sometimes an embarrassment, but they are not a disease risk.

Although most people associate headlice with a lack of personal hygiene. They are not selective with hair type, colour or length and contrary to popular belief prefer clean, rather than dirty hair. Head lice live happily on the rich, the poor, the clean and the dirty, regardless of age, occupation and status. Given the chance they move from head to head without discrimination.