Please remember:

• Lice are not a disease, but a personal nuisance problem that can be treated by anyone at home.
• Anyone can become infested, regardless of social background or personal cleanliness.

 
What to look for:
You should check your child’s hair and scalp daily-weekly for both lice and their eggs (nits).

• Head lice are insects about this (--) long and are dark in color. Lice cannot fly or jump but do move quickly.
• Nits are white, teardrop shaped, about this size (-). They stick firmly to the hair shaft, especially at the back of the neck and behind the ears.

 Nits and Lice Facts:

• Lice need the blood of human beings to survive and will die naturally within 24-48 hours without it.
• Nits (eggs) can be layed and hatched away from the scalp and hair.
• After the nits hatch, the newly hatched lice will seek a human scalp and hair.
• Where are they most commonly found? Hair on human head
• Average number of lice found on a person?  10-15
• Time it takes for nits (eggs) to hatch?  7-10 days
• Time it takes for newly hatched lice to become egg-laying adults?  10 days
• How long can newly hatched lice live on the scalp and hair?   30 days
• How long can lice live away from the scalp and hair?  1-2 days

 Symptoms:

• Itching of the scalp is the most common symptom. Scratching can lead to skin sores and skin infections.

 Treatment:

• If you should find lice or nits, your child should be treated with a killing shampoo (pediculocide) when the lice and/or nits are discovered and again 7 days later.
• Lice treatment can be purchased over the counter. Examples are NIX, RID, etc. Follow the package instructions exactly.
• IMPORTANT: If you use NIX, you cannot use mousse, gel, crčme rinse,  detangler, or a shampoo containing crčme rinse or detangler on your child’s hair either before using NIX and for 14 days after using NIX. Using any of these products before and for 14 days after NIX often causes it not to work.
• The child’s home environment must be treated at the same time, day one and again 7 days later.
• Everyone in the same household should be treated.

 Return to School:

• Remember our School District has a “No Nit” policy.
• Your child may return to school after treatment, and after you have removed all of the nits from your child.