Lice Facts

If your child has lice he/she may experience itching but not always. He/she may have a tickling feeling of something moving through their hair. Please make sure your child does not scratch as this may cause open sores and can increase the chance of infection. Lice eggs are called nits. They attach firmly to the hair shaft like glue, and are oval in shape. Nits are very small only about the size of a poppy seed. One test to check for lice is to look at the hair and try to remove the “dandruff flake” with a quick brush of your hand, if it stays attached to the hair more than likely you have found lice. Please make sure to wash your hands with hot soapy water after this test.

It’s impossible!! We can’t have lice!! How do you get lice?

How do lice get on the hair? Lice are only passed through direct contact. They do not fly or jump but they can crawl.

Did someone share a hat, comb, or personal item like a towel, pillow or blanket that belonged to an infected person?

Was there head to head contact with an infected person?

Is the hair dirty? This is a trick question. It does not matter. Head lice do not discriminate –they enjoy both clean and dirty hair.

Who gets lice? The most likely candidates to get lice are school age children, their siblings and parents, but lice can occur anywhere - high schools, day camps, shelters, or assisted living facilities.

What are these pesky little troublemakers, head lice?

Lice eggs are called nits. They attach firmly to the hair shaft like glue, and are oval in shape. Nits are very small only about the size of a poppy seed. Nits take 7-10 days to hatch and 7-10 days to become an adult, when they can start laying eggs themselves.

Adult head lice are small, wingless insects about the size of a sesame seed. One adult female louse can lay 3-10 eggs per day.

Head lice can live only 24-48 without blood from your head (not your pets). They need your head to live, colonize and lay eggs. Although lice can not live in your home, on your furniture, or in your bedding for very long, you should wash all clothing and bedding that has been worn or used recently, within the last 48 hours, in hot water and heat dry for at least 25 minutes.