Archive for the 'Lice Prevention' Category

Lice Prevention After Camp

headlice August 18th, 2008

Now is the time to be on guard for head lice!

When your kids come home from Summer camp, they may bring home more than dirty laundry and memories that last a lifetime. Head lice are so common these days, that the chance that your child was exposed in summer camp is quite high. Many camps do check for lice at the beginning of the Summer. However, in many situations, the treatment applied is a chemical lice shampoo.

Chemical lice products have a number of problems. Lice have become resistant to chemicals. Therefore, many lice treatments are not working. In addition, the chemicals have been known to actually harden the nits (lice eggs). This makes nit removal even more difficult than it already is. In order to completely get rid of lice every single nit has to be removed. Nits are tiny… the size of a grain of sand! If all the nits are not removed, a nit will continue to grow on the hair shaft, for a period of 7-10 days. At that point, a nymph (baby louse) will hatch, and within 7-10 days will be mature enough to lay additional nits! At this point, a child who was treated for lice in fact  be completely reinfested — and even worse infesting his friends and bunkmates.

Head lice is not a cleanliness issue. But lice are hearty, persistent bugs, and they will continue to live on human hosts unless they are treated effectively. Lice feed by biting the head, leaving irritation which causes terrible itching.

When your child comes home from camp, do yourself a favor, and take the time to do a lice nits check - before there is a possibility of his sharing lice or nits with his siblings — or parents! Yes, adults do get head lice. Lice prevention is the best way to stay in control.

Avoiding Frustration: Prevent Lice Re-Infestation (part 3 - conclusion)

headlice August 5th, 2008

Rachel had been conscientiously following the lice removal protocol, to rid the lice nits from her daughter Tammy's hair.

However, the real problem was external lice re-infestation. Although Tammy's play group had said that they were enforcing a no-nit policy in the group, one child apparently was not being treated for lice effectively. It only takes one. Three year olds play, cuddle, and tumble together all day. A lice epidemic can not be contained if lice are not treated effectively by every single parent in the group.

Rachel was doing the two week lice removal maintenance again and again. Apparently, another mother was using over the counter lice products, without an effective method for combing out nits. Her child kept re-infesting Tammy. LICENDERS uses a safe and effective method of lice treatment with natural lice products that really work. However, if a different child is reinfesting the group, the only way to end the lice nit cycle is enforcing an absolute nit-free policy in school, with frequent lice checking during the duration of a lice epidemic.

Families and communities are disrupted by a lice epidemic. To prevent re-infestation, all children must be treated for lice at the same time, and a no-nit policy must be enforced. The frustration of lice re-infestation can be prevented!

Summer Camp Lice Prevention

headlice July 29th, 2008

There is a widespread lice problem in summer camps this Summer. Licenders has provided screenings to prevent lice in overnight camps in the mountains of New York, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. When a child arrives at camp with head lice, the result can be a massive lice epidemic. Lice are notoriously catchy. The camp environment, with kids and adults interacting so closely, increases the opportunities for the lice nits to transfer from one head to another. Lice can easily spread to hundreds of campers in such conditions. For camp staff and administrators, a lice epidemic is a nightmare!

The way to approach this headlice threat correctly, is lice prevention. Licenders recommends that everyone who comes up to camp be screened for lice nits right away. If the lice checking can be done before the kids participate in any activities, this is ideal. The idea is, to find anyone with a lice problem, and treat the lice before they have a chance to spread to anyone else. Effective lice treatment, including proper lice combing can be provided to individual head lice cases immediately. Passing up this intial time for lice checking can result in a significant interruption of camp. Hundreds of kids could ultimately need to be treated because of a few isolated cases of untreated head lice.

In addition, licenders provides a lice nits re-check after a change in camp session, as new campers may again introduce lice into the summer camp population. If there is a significant opportunity for campers to interact closely with outsiders, another lice check is highly advised. This would apply after a camp visiting day, when parents and siblings come in contact with their loved ones, possibly bringing undetected lice bugs and nit eggs along with them.

Lice in Summer Camp

headlice July 28th, 2008

Head Lice love summer camp as much as kids do!

The camp season always brings an increase in head lice problems. The gathering of children from different geographical areas exposes them to a new group of friends - some of whom may be carrying lice and nits. In a camp situation, the ability for the lice to crawl from one head to another multiplies. The shared living environment is very conducive to the spread of head lice.  Sharing of hair brushes and accessories is certainly common. This is an ideal way for head lice to travel. During an active lice infestation, the friendly interchange of personal items can transfer viable nits - lice eggs - between children.

Children in summer camp are involved in many activities that give lice opportunities to move from head to head. Classic camp fun, from organized sports to pillow fights, allow for children to be in close physical contact. Sitting arm-in-arm at a campfire, and trying on hats for a dramatic performance are likely to spread lice.

It is crucial to get control of a lice problem in a summer camp, before the children have an opportunity to interact. The best way to do this is to have a Professional Lice Removal Service, such as LICENDERS, do a lice screening at the earliest opportunity.  A widespread lice infestation can be avoided by checking everyone at the beginning of the camp session. Lice Nits treatment can be provided right away, preventing further lice problems at camp.

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.