Archive for the 'lice information' Category

How did my child get lice?

headlice June 26th, 2008

The following is a response Licenders offered to an inquiry on the Topix Website. The questioner felt that her child got head lice while working at her garage sale. Since none of the other children presented with a lice infestation, the mom was wondering a child could catch lice from old clothing.

This is our response:

I assume you mean head lice, as opposed to body lice. The following only applies to head lice, which live only in human hair:

It is very easy, to catch lice. It is common among all children, regardless of race, class, or hygiene. The child may have caught lice a day or even a week before you became aware of it. The important thing is to treat the head lice right away, with a proper method, in order to get control right away:

1. You need a good, NON-Chemical Lice Shampoo. We can recommend Licenders Professional Shampoo (www.licenders.com). Over-the-counter products contain dangerous chemicals, and the bugs have become resistant to them.

2. You need a proper metal comb with very narrow teeth to remove every single nit. Without removing nits through combing, the infestation is still present, and will continue. This takes time, but is absolutely necessary. Licenders Lice Removal Comb works well, and is used daily by profession lice removal services (www.licenders.com)

Plastic combs do not catch every nit (lice egg). Short teeth will not get through enough of the hair to do a reasonable job. The comb should be made specifically for this purpose, with an ergonomic shape intended to support repetitious combing movements.

Proper Lice treatment involves maintenance for about 2 weeks after the initial treatment, to insure that the infestation is gone, and will not resurface. There are a few other worthwhile products that can support the combing and maintenance process.

In answer to your original inquiry:

The only way to get head lice from clothing, is if there is a live louse on the clothing which crawls onto a human head. Head Lice are parasites, and can only survive off of a human head for 1 - 2 days MAXIMUM. Likewise, stray hairs with mature nits on them can theoretically hatch off the head for 1 or 2 days, but the lice that hatch will die within a few hours unless they can feed on a human head.

Both of these scenarios is unlikely in a bag of old clothing, unless the clothing was worn by someone with an active lice infestation in the last 2 days.

I hope this information is helpful,
Good Luck!

Adie H

Lice Information from a Pediatrician

headlice June 4th, 2008

This article appeared on THE HOOK, the web site of a Charlottesville, Virginia Newspaper by the same name. It is posted here with permission from the author, Dr. John Hong, a reknowned physician with a local pediatric practice in Charlottesville.

  

DR. HOOK- Nit picking: Pediculosis can louse up a day
 

by JOHN HONG, MD
published 5/15/2008 12:00:00 AM

"I'm hairy noon and night. Hair that's a fright. I'm hairy high and low. Don't ask me why. Don't know" (Hair, the musical).

 

At my school, Denison University, when we produced Hair, they actually had a nude scene, though the lights were spinning all over the place, and I could tell a bum bum from a tum tum. But there was a lot of hair! What if some of it had lice?

 

Don't laugh! When I saw a different musical, Naked Men Singing, one guy had a fungal infection, tinea versicolor, and another was recovering from shingles. I almost jumped up on the stage to apply creams. Yikes!

 

Pediculosis is the medical term for lice, and there are three types: pediculosis humanus capitus (head lice), pediculosis corporis (body lice), and phthirus pubis (pubic lice, aka "crabs"– or in royal circles King Crabs– hmm). 

 

Head lice are most common in kiddies, and in fact lice is the #2 communicable disease in North American elementary school students! In 1997, one in four had head lice at some point. The louse doesn't jump or fly, so it's contracted by direct contact between folks– through sharing clothes, hats, combs, headphones, beds, towels, etc.
 
Even hanging jackets besides each other in the classroom can spread lice, because the louse can survive away from a human body for 55 hours.

 

To Be Continued

 

 

© Dr. John Hong, Inc

 

 

N.Y. Times: Licenders Head Lice Prevention Experts

headlice May 22nd, 2008

continued from Sports Headgear and Lice Prevention 

When the coach of the Little League in Dobbs Ferry, New York advised team parents to purchase individual batting helmets, to prevent lice, The New York Times reported it in their health section on April 27, 2008. The Times consulted with LICENDERS, recognized as the experts in head lice treatment, as quoted in the article:

" 'We are seeing more cases of lice that are resistant to over-the-counter treatments,' said Leah Hartman, manager for the Westchester division of LICENDERS, a professional lice removal service that serves many area schools.' "

"Ms. Hartman said that more than 50 percent of calls to her office are for repeat cases, incidents of head lice that have not been eliminated with the use of an over-the-counter product. '[Lice Prevention] is a key step,' she said."

"Rare is the school that has not dealt with head lice, said Susan Gretczko, a registered nurse who works at the Concord Road Elementary School in Ardsley. '[Head lice problems are] rampant everywhere', she said. 'The only way we are going to stop this [head lice problem] is to take measures like insisting on individual helmets,' ”

As we have stated repeatedly, head lice spread among children very quickly. When a lice infested child shares any items used on the head, the lice have the opportunity to crawl from the head, to the object, and subsequently onto another child's head. Under these circumstances, an outbreak of head lice is inevitable. We applaud these Westchester residents for their pro-active approach to preventing head lice in their communities.

The Nature of Head Lice: How a Lice Infestation Spreads

headlice April 7th, 2008

continued from Do Head Lice Jump?

Biologically, Head Lice do not jump. Rather, they crawl very quickly from one head to another. Considering this fact about head lice, one may wonder how it is lice nits spread so quickly. Some people mistakenly think that one bug alone can not cause a head lice infestation. The truth is, it only takes one mature louse to begin a rapid lice infestation on the new host!

Like most live creatures, a louse egg must be fertilized in order to produce additional lice bugs.  Mature female lice only need one fertilization to produce fertilized eggs for the rest of their life - approximately 30 days. An adult male louse will mate several times in its lifetime, fertilizing numerous females. Therefore almost all mature female lice have mated, and are ready and able to start infesting the hair with nits, at an average of 6 nit eggs per day.

Chances are that a mature louse that crawls on to a new head is in fact fertilized and ready to lay more than 150 nits in the hair over the next few weeks. It doesn't take much to spread a lice infestation.

Do Head Lice Jump?

headlice March 27th, 2008

In order to "catch lice", a live bug must transfer from one head to another. Human head lice crawl incredibly quickly, and that is the only way they transfer from head to head. Lice do not have legs biologically capable of jumping. If someone shows you a louse "jumping", it is either not a human head louse, or it is actually trying to crawl, and somehow is falling, perhaps because it is dying, or because the louse is trying to crawl up the inside of a jar! Lice may twitch for a few seconds while they are dying, and this can be mistaken for  jumping lice. HAIR LICE don't JUMP!

Considering that head lice don't jump, how to they spread so fast?? Amazingly lice crawl very quickly, from one head to another. It really only takes one or two head lice to infest another person. Children spread lice more quickly, because in the course of their play, they give the lice more opportunities to crawl from one head to another. This can happen when sharing a secret, wrestling, and hugging. Any head to head contact gives the louse a chance to transfer. Until you look under a magnifying glass, it's hard to believe how quickly head lice crawl.

To Be Continued

Head Lice Outbreak in the Neighborhood

headlice March 18th, 2008

According to an article that appeared last week on Thisweek Online, there has been a major outbreak of headlice in three schools in the southern Twin Cities area in Minnesota. Over 150 cases of head lice were found in those 3 schools.

The schools include Pinewood Elementary School, Dakota Middle School, and Eagan High School. According to the news article, reported by Andrew Miller, each school has been taking appropriate measures to eradicate the lice problem.

The article qoutes a nurse, Sally Cole, who makes a very good point regarding the reason that this head lice nit outbreak would affect three separate schools in one neighborhood:

" 'Pinewood feeds into Dakota Hills Middle School and Eagan High School, and it’s likely that Pinewood students passed the lice to their siblings attending the middle school and high school', Cole said.

[A school district communications specialist] underscored that the school facilities themselves aren’t the source of the lice. In fact, pinning down the origin of the virtual deluge of head-lice cases in [the affected school district] may not be possible. 'It’s very difficult to tell because you can pick lice up anyplace,” Cole said.' "

Accurate information about lice is very important when it comes to dealing with a lice outbreak in a school. Head lice information and facts help the parents understand the situation better. Without lice nit information, parents tend to believe all sorts of rumors about Lice and Nits. Blame for the lice and nits gets thrown around, which is not useful for removing the lice problem. When head lice information is presented in a matter-of-fact way, parents are less likely to deny the problem, and more likely to responsibly treat their infested children, removing lice and nits.

That is the key to treating a school head lice infestation.

Nitpickers and Lice Removal Services

headlice March 10th, 2008

Recently, a human interest news item was devoted to lice removal services. The article, appeared in the New York Daily News on January 29th 2008. In her article, titled They're In the Lice-Removal Business, Rachel Monahan, discusses a supposed cultural trend in head lice treatment services. Her focus is on some women who have become lice removal experts in Brooklyn, New York. The tone of the article about lice removal warrants some comment.

One of these women describes herself as an "Orthodox Jewish nitpicker", and even goes so far, as to make a connection to the area of a nitpicking housewife. "They say Jewish men make good husbands; Jewish women are known to be nitpickers." Even in jest, such a statement is demeaning - and less than professional. Even a self-directed insult can result in uninformed, negative stereotyping. The fact is, human head lice are an international problem. The lice problem is prevalent in every culture, race and nationality. Religion is certainly not a factor. Any person who invests time and researches solutions, can become quite knowledgeable about lice nits and the best method of removing a lice infestation.

Furthermore, we take issue with the term "nitpickers" altogether!

to be continued

 

Body Lice and Head Lice: Different Lice Treatments

headlice February 27th, 2008

Previously, I posted a conversation overheard in a pharmacy, between the pharmacist and a customer. The customer was looking for an over the counter Lice Shampoo, but was confused. He therefore approached the pharmacist for information on prescription lice treatments. The symptoms he described were for body lice, not human head lice. This customer, had he not consulted with the pharmacist would have purchased a product with very potent and dangerous chemicals, available over the counter for treating head lice.

The moral(s) of this anecdote:

  • LICE INFORMATION is crucial, in order to properly treat the problem. Headlice Shampoo will not treat body lice. A dermatologist must be consulted for body lice. Fortunately, medical intervention is not needed for pediculosis capitis, human headlice. Although both kinds of pediculosis are human parasites, they are different. The bugs do look similar, but body lice are smaller. Human head lice can be easily treated without prescription formulas.  
     
  • Dangerous chemicals are being used for treating head lice. Your head is one of the most absorbent parts of the body. Since chemicals are becoming less and less effective in treating hair lice and nits, the chemical lice treatment products are increasing their concentrations of these chemicals! Read the ingredients. Do your research. Fight back! Non-Chemical Lice Shampoo is available. Why resort to chemicals?

Lice Information: Overheard in the Pharmacy

headlice February 25th, 2008

Last week a friend of mine was in the pharmacy for some routine purchases. He noticed a gentleman looking at a display of lice removal shampoos. The customer picked up each lice product, examined the box, and put it back on the shelf. When he had looked at every available lice treatment product, he seemed quite perplexed. This is not surprising. These products promise all sorts of quick fixes, and it's hard to tell what the difference is between them.

Apparently confused, the gentleman approached the pharmacist for some help. This is the conversation my friend overheard:

Customer: I need to treat lice.
Pharmacist: There are many products for treating lice.
Customer: what is the difference between them?
Pharmacist: You need to read the active ingredients.
Customer: They seem to be full of chemicals.
Pharmacist: Yes, these products use strong chemicals to kill lice. Each product uses different chemicals, in different concentrations.
Customer: But they all kill lice?
Pharmacist: That's what they say on the box!
Customer: Are there other products? like soap? They all are called lice shampoo!?
Pharmacist: Well, you have to wash your hair with it, in order to kill the lice.
Customer: How do I kill the ones that aren't on my head?
Pharmacist: If they are not on your head, why do you think they are lice?
Customer: Well my whole body is itching. I have itchy red patches all over. It seems odd to wash my whole body with shampoo.
Pharmacist: You have body lice! These chemical lice shampoos are specifically made for human head lice (pediculus humanus capitis). If you have body lice, you need to go to a dermatologist right away and get a prescription for body lice (pediculus humanus).
Customer: Oh. I didn't know there was a difference.

Lice Removal Kits: What about the nit comb?

headlice February 20th, 2008

A final word on plastic lice nit combs:

Some Lice Shampoos come bundled with a plastic lice comb. A lice removal product may provide clear instructions about how to divide the hair to effectively comb out the nits, using the comb provided. These plastic lice combs also come in many shapes.  Some brand-name lice killing products even seem to provide different lice combs with their different lice removal products.

Although these combs are coming bundled with a very expensive, or popular lice product, the fact is that a plastic nit comb will not do the job. In a previous article, we have explained the problem with plastic lice combs, and why they often do not work. We continue to be amazed at the poorly made, and highly ineffective nit combs that are being included in professional lice removal kits.

No matter how well planned the design, plastic teeth will not catch all the nits! Large, mature nits may possibly be removed using such a comb. However, the tiny nits must also be removed in order to prevent re-infestation. Use only a metal lice comb if you don't want your efforts to be in vain.

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