Head Lice
Head lice are tiny, crawling, parasitic insects that feed on human blood. They usually live on the scalp in the hair but can also be on the eyebrows and eyelashes. They bite the skin to suck the blood, making it itchy, and attach their eggs to the hair close to the scalp. Head lice are most common in young kids, but anyone can be affected. This is not because of poor hygiene, but because head lice spreads more easily in people who spend a lot of time close together. The most common way to get head lice is by head-to-head contact with a person who already has head lice, but they can also be spread from sharing items that touch the head such as combs, brushes, and hats.
Adult head lice are gray or tan with 3 pairs of legs that look like claws, and they’re smaller than a sesame seed. Lice move quickly, so eggs are often found more easily than the actual adult lice. Head lice eggs are white, yellowish, tan, or brown and are found close to the scalp. They are very tiny and aren’t easily removed from the hair.
Symptoms
People with head lice may or may not have symptoms, particularly with a first infestation or when the infestation is light. Itching is the most common symptom of infestation and is caused by the reaction to the head louse bites. It can take 4-6 weeks for itching to appear the first time a person has head lice. Other symptoms include a tickling feeling or sensation that something is moving in the hair, irritability, sleeplessness, and sores in the head caused by scratching.
Complications
Head lice are mostly harmless and don’t carry diseases, but the itching might cause scratches and/or breaks in the skin leading to bacterial infections.
Treatment
Check for lice by running a fine-tooth comb or special lice comb through wet hair. Inspect the comb for lice and eggs each time it’s pulled through. Lice are most commonly found on the back of the head and neck, and near the ears.
The best treatment for head lice is with special shampoo, lotion, or cream that kills them. The manufacturer’s instructions should be followed on how to apply the treatment and how often to use it. Treatment should additionally include removal of the eggs from the hair with a fine-toothed comb.
It is important to remove lice from clothing, bedding, and personal items by washing in hot water and drying on high heat. Items that can’t be washed should be dry cleaned and/or stored in a sealed plastic bag for 2 weeks. It is also important to wash combs and brushes in very hot water after use. Vacuuming of furniture and carpet that could’ve come into contact with lice should also be performed.
When to Seek Care
Healthcare providers should be consulted if home treatments aren’t working or if there are any signs of infection such as fever, sores that won’t heal, pain or tenderness in the head, or redness or swelling of the scalp.
Prevention
Steps to help prevent or control the spread of head lice include:
- Avoid head-to-head (hair-to-hair) contact.
- Do not share clothing such as hats, scarves, coats,
- Do not share combs, brushes, or towels.
- Do not lie on beds, couches, pillows, carpets, that have recently been in contact with a person infested with head lice.
- Machine wash and dry clothing, towels, bed linens, and other items that a person infested with lice wore or used during the two days before treatment using the hot water (130°F) laundry cycle and the high heat drying cycle.
- If the items can’t be washed, dry clean items or seal them in a plastic bag and store them for two weeks.
- Vacuum the floor and furniture, particularly where the infested person sat or lay.
- Do not use fumigant sprays or fogs; they are not necessary to control head lice and can be toxic if inhaled or absorbed through the skin.
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