Start the School Year Prepared with Accurate Head Lice Information
headlice August 16th, 2007
Amid new worries about safety in the nation’s schools is an age-old health problem that drives millions of children to the nurse’s office each year:
HEAD LICE!
Cases of head lice - or pediculosis- show up mainly in elementary schools because the itchy, creepy, sesame seed-sized bugs tend to invade the scalps of children age 12 and younger.
Head lice have a life span of 40 days and lay about 200 eggs, called nits, over that time period. Using a very strong natural "glue," the louse attaches one egg per strand of hair. The eggs hatch within seven to ten days and mature in another seven to 10 days. Head lice are parasites that like clean shiny hair. They spread from person to person through contact and are highly contagious. They will lay 3-10 nits (eggs) per day. The nits are about the size of a sesame seed and range in color from opalescent white to light brown. They are glued to the hair shaft and are located near the scalp.
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