Your Health by Dr. Rallie McAllister

As children return to the classroom for the beginning of a new school year, their risk of acquiring head lice increases dramatically. The incidence of head lice infestation peaks shortly after school starts, particularly among younger children.

Each year in the U.S., approximately 6 to 12 million children between the ages of 3 and 12 get head lice infestations.

Although it's entirely possible for older students — and even adults — to acquire lice, the tiny, bloodsucking parasites are most commonly found in preschoolers and elementary school students. Children in these age groups tend to play together and have close, head-to-head contact, facilitating transmission.

The good news is that lice can't fly through the air or leap across great distances; they merely crawl. Head lice are typically spread through direct contact with a person who has lice, or by using an infected individual's personal belongings, such as a hat, hairbrush or headphones.

How can you know if your child has lice? Complaints of an itchy scalp and excessive head scratching are often the first signs.

If your vision is sharp, you'll be able to see the tiny vermin and their eggs, also known as nits. A louse is about the size of a sesame seed, and it may be white, gray or reddish in color. Nits are even smaller, but if you look closely, you may be able to spot the silvery, tulip-shaped eggs.

If you spy what you think is a nit or a louse and can remove it easily, it's probably something else, like a bit of dirt or a flake of skin. Lice keep their legs firmly wrapped around strands of hair, and nits are even more securely attached to individual hairs with a glue-like substance.

As easy as they are to acquire, lice can be just as difficult to eradicate. Once they've taken up residence on your child's head, regular shampooing, combing and brushing won't budge them.

In most cases, you can free your child of these unwelcome inhabitants by using an over-the-counter anti-lice shampoo exactly as directed. Many of these products contain pyrethrins, natural pesticides derived from the chrysanthemum plant.

Because pyrethrins don't kill all of the nits, it's often necessary to perform another treatment seven to 10 days after the first one.

Unfortunately, widespread use of many over-the-counter products has led to resistance among head lice. If over-the-counter shampoos don't seem to do the trick, your doctor can prescribe products that may be more effective.

One of the newest anti-lice products available with a doctor's prescription is a benzyl alcohol preparation marketed as Ulesfia Lotion. Applied to the hair and scalp in two applications, the lotion kills lice by suffocating them, rather than by poisoning them.

In years past, children with lice were sent home from school and allowed to return to the classroom only when their heads were completely free of lice and nits. New guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) discourage these "no-nit" policies, stating that children should be allowed to return to school as soon as they have received proper treatment.

Although head lice may cause anxiety or embarrassment, they do not transmit any diseases and are not considered a serious health threat. According to the new AAP policy statement, no child should miss valuable school time because of head lice.

After treating your child for lice, you've still got some work to do. You'll need to check all the other heads in your family — including your own — and treat them if necessary.

You should also wash everything your child's head may have come in contact with, including hats, pillows and blankets. To kill lice on clothes and bedding, it's best to wash the items in hot water and then dry them for at least 20 minutes in a hot dryer.

All combs, brushes and hair accessories should be soaked in anti-lice shampoo or in hot, soapy water. To kill lice on items that can't be washed easily, such as pillows and plush toys, simply place them in airtight bags for a few days. Deprived of a human host, head lice die within 36 hours.

Having lice doesn't mean that your children are unclean or uncivilized; it simply means they've been exposed to someone or something harboring the pests. When it comes to choosing a suitable host, head lice don't discriminate.

Rallie McAllister, M.D. is a family physician, speaker, and co-founder of www.MommyMDGuides.com, a website featuring child-raising tips from trusted doctors who are also moms. To find out more about Rallie McAllister, M.D., and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

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