Head Lice and Kids

September is National Head Lice Prevention Month help others to be educated about head lice.

Head lice are a parent’s nightmare.  Even though they have been around for thousands of years, head lice still carry the embarrassing stigma of a person being unclean.  Scientific studies prove that exposure to head lice living on another person especially children is the main means of getting lice and can happen to anyone no matter how clean or dirty they are.  Since head lice are so hard to see, and are able to multiply rapidly before they are discovered, they continue to plague humans everywhere.  To prevent and choose treatments for head lice in your family see the following guides from professional and scientific advisors about head lice and their control.  Education is the key to choosing the right treatments and prevention.

1.   CDC  Center for Disease Control and Prevention .    Excellent fact sheet with information and pictures of head lice at different stages.  They estimate 6-12 million people are infested each year.  Most common in children attending preschool and elementary schools where there is head to head contact with each other.   Also, provides a good list of ways to prevent infestation. 

2.   Harvard School of Public Health   Very inclusive and exhaustive list of efficacy of different natural and chemical treatments.   Important to read through this information before buying different kinds of treatments that are currently for sale.  Also, has comments regarding the use of oil, enzymes and other methods said to be effective in prevention and treatment of lice. 

3.    UC IPM Online – University of California pest notes has a pdf downloadable publication covering all aspects of lice treatment and control.  This publication includes detailed instructions on how to comb out nits and lice. 

4.   National Pediculosis Organization – this is a non-profit organization that has been helping families with advice on how to prevent and treat head lice and other human parasites since 1983.  Their most current number one advice is to use the Licemeister (trademarked) comb.  This comb is guaranteed to remove all nits and lice from the hair and is recommended for use in detecting and removing lice and nits without any other products.   There is a lot of other information on the site that is of interest and will help kids and families dealing with and infestation.  

5.  National Pesticide Information Center site from the Oregon State University and the US EPA.  This online site has useful links to many different University publications and sites regarding prevention and treatment of head lice. 

Stopping the embarrassment and stigma associated with head lice infestations will do more to help in preventing the spread than any other means.

http://www.ehow.com/how_5193354_prevent-choose-treatments-head-lice.html