Prevention Advice for Parents

• Avoid head to head contact.
• Do not share combs, hats, hair barrettes, scarves, coats, hair ribbons.
• Do not share bedding, sit on sofas, pillows, stuffed animals, or carpets of a recently infested person.
• Parent should check pre-school and elementary children’s hair weekly for signs of nits and live lice.
• If your child has head lice, inform the parents of all the children that they have come in close contact with for the past three-four weeks.
• Information of how to check your child’s head can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/lice/head/parents.html

Treatment

There are several over-the-counter and prescription treatments.  Check with your pharmacist or physician for recommendations.  For information on the different treatments, go to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at   http://www.cdc.gov/lice/head/treatment.html#general

It is important to follow the directions on the box for the treatment to be effective.  Many of the shampoos recommend a second treatment with in 7-10 days after the first because not all of the nits will be killed with the first treatment.

Environmental Measures

• Wash bedding and dry at temperatures greater than 130 degrees.
• Non-washable items like stuffed animals can be sealed in plastic bags for ten days.
• Vacuum carpet and overstuffed furniture.
• Avoid head to head contact.