Is Head Lice Contagious?

What are Head Lice?

Head lice are small wingless insects (1.5-3 mm

long) that have a brownish-white color in appearance.

YES they are highly contagious but getting

head lice is not a social stigma.

It is not a sign of bad hygiene or poor

They live in human hair to feed on their blood

health habits, but it can be very upsetting

and do not prefer any other host.

and is definitely a nuisance.

The adult louse may lay up to 130 eggs (nits)

during a life cycle of around 34 days. The eggs

How is head lice acquired?

are oval, have yellowish-white color (approx.

size of a sesame seed).

Head lice do not hop or fly.

Lice glue their eggs, or nits, to hair.

Children can give head lice to other chil-

Eggs take 6-9 days to hatch, and seven or

dren from close body contact or by using

more days to become egg-laying adults.

items such as hairbrushes, combs, ribbons,

scarves and hats which have been in con-

HEAD LICE

tact with an infested person.

Life Cycle of Head Lice

Head lice is a problem in homes, day care

centers, elementary, and preschools.

What DO You Know?

Children are more prone to get lice from

family members than from classmates at

Emmanuel Badu Winful

Dr. Marina Eremeeva

school.
Signs and Symptoms of head lice

The signs and symptoms are a tickling feeling of something moving in the hair

Itching caused by an allergic reaction to the

bites, sores on the head (caused by scratching) and irritability.

http://www.plunketts.com.au/q--as.html

How do I identify Head lice?

The only way to know if your child has

lice is to look through their hair. If they

For effective elimination of head lice, the infested individual and family members should
also be checked.

do, their scalp might be itchy.

There is NO proof that the following products

work:
Vinegar

Compounds that say they dissolve the

Remember that eggs are found close to

glue on the nits to ease their removal.

the scalp. Any eggs found along the hair

shaft are either hatched or dead.

Myths of Head Lice Treatment

Dont confuse dirt or dandruff with eggs

(nits). Eggs stick on the hair.

Mayonnaise

Olive oil

Tea tree oil

Treatment Options
Over-the-counter (OTC) or prescription medica-

How can I get rid of Head lice?

tions are used to treat the affected person and

A good way to get rid of the lice is to

their families. OTC such as :

comb their hair every day with a nit

1. Permethrin or pyrethrin are the active in-

comb for two weeks or more.

gredients in most over-the-counter head

Nit comb should be a metal (not plas-

lice treatments.

tic) and have long teeth. Example is

Lice-Meiter metal comb.
The best way to remove eggs is to part the
hair into small sections. It is easier to comb

2. Ivermectin (0.5%) treatments can be prescribed to kill eggs and lice in children 6
months of age and above.
3. Spinosad (0.9%) treatments can be pre-

Where can I get more information?

Your personal doctor

Your local health department
CDC website: http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/

scribed to kill both lice and eggs on children

above 4 years old.
4. The Lousebuster* is a device that delivers
heated air at high flow to the scalp to kill
lice and eggs.

References:
http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Head-lice/Pages/Introduction.aspx

http://www.cdph.ca.gov/HealthInfo/discond/Documents/2012
http://www.medicinenet.com/head_lice/article.htm