Health News Brief
Although head lice are an unpleasant matter to contemplate, they are a fact of life. Head lice are present in all public arenas. An excellent method of controlling their prevalence among our school community, is for each family to do a weekly head check of all family members, including parents. If a case is found within the home, please report this to the school. It is necessary to treat each case of head lice before returning to school. It is not recommended to treat unaffected family members, however. In addition to doing family head checks, it is advised that children be instructed not to share personal items, such as, combs, hairbrushes, or hair ornaments. Borrowing scarves, hats, or sports head gear should also be avoided.
Lice are spread by direct person-to-person contact. Lice do not jump or fly; they crawl and can fall off the head. Family pets can be a method of transport, however, do not become invested with lice themselves. It is reported that head lice can live up to 48 hours off the head, but only lay their eggs while on the head. Their eggs, or nits, only hatch if they remain on the head and the average incubation period is about 10 days.
Any time questions or concerns arise relating to the prevention or treatment of head lice, please call your child’s school and ask to speak with Jan Heckman.
Although head lice are an unpleasant matter to contemplate, they are a fact of life. Head lice are present in all public arenas. An excellent method of controlling their prevalence among our school community, is for each family to do a weekly head check of all family members, including parents. If a case is found within the home, please report this to the school. It is necessary to treat each case of head lice before returning to school. It is not recommended to treat unaffected family members, however. In addition to doing family head checks, it is advised that children be instructed not to share personal items, such as, combs, hairbrushes, or hair ornaments. Borrowing scarves, hats, or sports head gear should also be avoided.
Lice are spread by direct person-to-person contact. Lice do not jump or fly; they crawl and can fall off the head. Family pets can be a method of transport, however, do not become invested with lice themselves. It is reported that head lice can live up to 48 hours off the head, but only lay their eggs while on the head. Their eggs, or nits, only hatch if they remain on the head and the average incubation period is about 10 days.
Any time questions or concerns arise relating to the prevention or treatment of head lice, please call your child’s school and ask to speak with Jan Heckman.
