Head Lice

A brief digest about this topic

Head lice are parasitic wingless insects. They live on people's heads and feed on their blood. An adult is called a louse and is about the size of a sesame seed. The eggs, called nits, are even smaller - almost like a dandruff flake. Lice and nits are easiest to detect at the neckline and behind the ears.

Head lice are extremely contagious. Close contact or sharing personal belongings, such as hats or hairbrushes, puts people at risk. Children ages 3-11 and their families get head lice most often. Personal hygiene has nothing to do with getting head lice.

Symptoms are

  • Tickling feeling in the hair
  • Frequent itching
  • Sores from scratching

The most important step in treating head lice is to treat the person and other family members with medicine to kill the lice.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Provided by: NIH - National Institute of Health

Links shared publicly online about this topic

Scratch your head: Lice allowed in schools?

examiner.com — “The American Academy of Pediatrics surprised many parents this week, changing its recommendations to now allow children with lice to stay in school. What does Duval, Clay and St. John's County think of this? The answer, they all have a no-nit …View full resource at examiner.com

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Most Recently Shared on August 2, 2010 at 11:17 pm By:

SueScheff Sue Scheff Parenting Supporter

Scratch your head: Lice allowed in schools? - http://tinyurl.com/24kurnx Is your school allowing #lice in? #health #parenting

2 years ago...

What Are Head Lice? What Are Nits?

medicalnewstoday.com — “Head lice are tiny gray-brown wingless parasitic insects that affect only humans. They live by sucking blood from the scalp. They cannot be caught from or passed on to animals. Nits are heaView full resource at medicalnewstoday.com

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Most Recently Shared on September 18, 2009 at 7:45 pm By:

mnt_healthnews MNT Health News Health News

What Are Head Lice? What Are Nits?: Head lice are tiny gray-brown wingless parasitic insects that affect only hu.. http://bit.ly/23UYo3

2 years ago...

Safer Head-Lice Treatments

naturalproductsmarketplace.com — “Parents dread that most unwelcome of notes from their child's school or camp: head lice! Yet, with the exception of the common cold, head lice affect more school-aged children than all other communicable diseases combined.View full resource at naturalproductsmarketplace.com

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Most Recently Shared on July 28, 2010 at 1:46 pm By:

For Tough Head Lice, Pill Tops Lotion:

health.msn.com — “For Tough Head Lice, Pill Tops Lotion:View full resource at health.msn.com

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Most Recently Shared on March 10, 2010 at 11:02 pm By:

msnhealthnews msn Health News

For Tough Head Lice, Pill Tops Lotion: http://bit.ly/b4WapY

2 years ago...

Dealing With Head Lice - MSN Health - Skin and Hair

health.msn.com — “Despite what some people think lice prefer clean hair doctor saysView full resource at health.msn.com

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Most Recently Shared on February 5, 2012 at 2:28 pm By:

Head Lice: Blood-Sucking Parasites - EverydayHealth.com

everydayhealth.com — “Head Lice: Blood-Sucking Parasites - Head lice , or Pediculus humanus capitis , are small, parasitic insects that live on people s heads and necks and feed on human blood.View full resource at everydayhealth.com

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Most Recently Shared on September 27, 2010 at 2:15 pm By:

Head Lice: How to Detect, Treat Infestation and Stop Spread - ABC News

abcnews.go.com — “Six million to 12 million school-age children in America get head lice every year, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Dealing with lice is hard on parents and even harder on their children. They may have to handle not just the itching from the tiny parasitic insects that nest in their hair but also face teasing from their classmates.View full resource at abcnews.go.com

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Most Recently Shared on January 26, 2010 at 2:54 pm By:

HITpol HealthIT Policy Health IT and Health News

Your Family's Health: Handling Head Lice: Itching, scabbing on scalp may signal presence of head lice. Learn what ... http://bit.ly/7sBZUT

2 years ago...

Naturopathy | Health Articles | Home Remedies for Head Lice: Olive Oil

worldwidehealth.com — “Naturopathy | Health Articles | Home Remedies for Head Lice: Olive OilView full resource at worldwidehealth.com

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Most Recently Shared on September 8, 2010 at 5:58 pm By:

WorldwideHealth Health Expert Health Site

Anybody know What is Olive Oil? please read this story: http://budurl.com/bgpn

1 year ago...

Head lice: myths and remedies - QualityPoint Technologies

qualitypointtech.net — “(Source: Monsters and Critics Health News)View full resource at qualitypointtech.net

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Most Recently Shared on December 13, 2010 at 6:03 am By:

MedicalFeed MedicalFeed Health News Feed

Head lice: myths and remedies: (Source: Monsters and Critics Health News) http://bit.ly/dYvXaF

1 year ago...

School Head-Lice Policies Must Be Relaxed, Say Doctors - TIME

time.com — “The medical evidence suggests that schools' no-nits policies, which keep children out of class, do little to reduce head-lice infestationsView full resource at time.com

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Most Recently Shared on July 29, 2010 at 8:28 am By:

GHChealth Global Healing Ctr. Health Business

School Head-Lice Policies Must Be Relaxed, Say Doctors http://bit.ly/amAu1O [via @TIME] #news

2 years ago...

Oral Ivermectin Superior to Malathion Lotion for Persistent Head Lice:

skinandallergynews.com — “Oral Ivermectin Superior to Malathion Lotion for Persistent Head Lice:View full resource at skinandallergynews.com

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Most Recently Shared on March 11, 2010 at 9:23 pm By:

sknews Skin & Allergy News Health News

Oral Ivermectin Superior to Malathion Lotion for Persistent Head Lice: http://bit.ly/cmAPeI

2 years ago...

For Tough Head Lice, Pill Tops Lotion - Drugs.com MedNews

drugs.com — “In children with hard-to-treat head lice, the oral medication ivermectin is more effective than the standard treatment, the topical cream malathion, new researcView full resource at drugs.com

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Most Recently Shared on March 12, 2010 at 2:20 am By:

Pill found to outdo lotion in tough head-lice cases - latimes.com

latimes.com — “Head lice are itchy, nasty nuisances that can be hard to get rid of. Can a pill provide relief? A new study has found that in tough cases, an oral medication kills the parasites more effectively than a prescription lotion applied to the scalp.View full resource at latimes.com

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Most Recently Shared on March 11, 2010 at 5:48 pm By:

LATimeshealth LA Times Health News Health News

Pill found to outdo lotion in tough head-lice cases: Despite results of a study, the chief author says ivermectin... http://bit.ly/9Fcfbt

2 years ago...

Head Lice: It’s Going Around | The Kid's Doctor: Your Partner in Parenting

kidsdr.com — “What can you do if your child has head lice?View full resource at kidsdr.com

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Most Recently Shared on March 3, 2010 at 1:38 pm By:

Human Pathogens in Body and Head Lice, http://ow.ly/yww9

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov — “Human Pathogens in Body and Head Lice, http://ow.ly/yww9View full resource at ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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Most Recently Shared on November 4, 2009 at 5:00 pm By:

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  • SueScheff

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