Parents all over the country are hearing rumors of super lice sweeping across schools. Reports of head lice that are showing strong immunities to treatment, aka super lice, have been reported in every state across the country. Many parents are concerned about the coming year. Are super lice still a problem in 2020?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, up to 12 million children between the ages of 3-11 will be inflicted with head lice this year in the United States. Due to super lice, that number is clearly on the rise from previous years. What do you need to know about keeping your child safe from super lice? Take a look at our suggestions for keeping your kid head lice free.
Perform Regular Scalp Checks on your Children.
It can be tricky to catch head lice early on, but checking regularly for symptoms is the best way to ensure you catch head lice before it spreads throughout your household. Nit combs are an awesome resource for looking through your child’s hair for head lice. Nit combs are available to purchase at any Lice Clinics of Texas location or online through many other stores.
Start by getting a warm bowl of water, a nit comb, and a white towel or paper towel. Go through your child’s scalp looking for symptoms of head lice or nits. Use the nit comb to sweep through a section of hair, wipe the contents from the comb onto the white towel so they are more clearly visible, and then rinse the comb off in the bowl. Keep in mind that head lice most often stay near the nape of the neck, behind the ears or at the crown of the head.
Clear indications of head lice include sesame seed-sized adult lice, nits or lice eggs, red rashes, bite marks or irritations on the scalp.
Talk to Your Kids About Not Catching Head Lice.
Kids are never going to stop and think about the dangers of head lice on their own. They are only concerned with friends and fun! As a parent, take the time to remind children of the possibility of head lice. Teach children that head lice are spread most often through direct head to head contact. However, they can also be passed along through clothing or shared items: hats, hoodies, helmets, towels, blankets, pillows, earbuds, etc. Try to help young teens understand that when they are using handheld electronic devices they should be cautious to not push heads together with other friends who are also viewing the screen.
Get Informed About the Facts.
Contact school nurses or administration to ask questions. Information is power. If you are aware that an outbreak is occurring in your child’s school you will be ahead of the game. Talk to other parents, talk to teachers, be sure to keep in the loop.
Keep Kid’s School Gear Lice-Free.
Take your child’s backpack, winter hats, gloves, scarves, coats, and any other articles they take to school regularly sanitize them weekly. This could be done by simply washing items in a washing machine. This could also be done in a hot dryer for 20 minutes to kill any possible nits or head lice infecting items.