Head Lice,Head Lice, Head Lice

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I am sooo sick of head lice. It is seeming to be never-ending. I am wondering what different schools do for head lice. Do you do classroom checks? Do you have a no-nit policy? What do you do for those chronic cases?

We have been sending out letters for EACH case now and do 2-3 checks within 7-10 days after treatment to help, but it seems like we are going to have another lice epidemic this year. We have one family that get it over and over again. I hate the family missing school and mom missing work (I don't want her to lose her job). Help??

Lastly, if a louse only lives 48 hours off the head, why do things have to be bagged for 2 weeks??

THanks

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Specializes in school nursing, ortho, trauma.

The length of time covers any nits that may be on the thing and incubation, hatching times and subsequent demise .

We dropped our no nit policy a few years ago - dropped classroom wide checks with no suspected cases too.

In the case of the family that keeps on getting lice, perhaps a call to your town's public health nurse is in order ( or a home visit, if you do those... i don't) to give then detailed instruction and observe them doing what needs to be done to kill lice in the household.

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Specializes in Telemetry, Gastroenterology, School Nrs.

We have a no-nit policy right now but I am in the works of getting that dropped. I don't do classroom checks any longer, either.

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Specializes in OR.

Just a mom of three here...perhaps suggest they put 'tea tree oil' in their shampoo and conditioners or buy some special repellent shampoo (Lil Docs has a brand...of course, once they are lice free). Also, unless it is a horrible infestation on the kids, in the house, etc, bagging things is really not necessary or effective. Another suggestion...spraying hairspray on the hair before going to school deters head lice. But again, who knows what kind of precautions they are doing at home. At the least they should be washing all the sheets and pillow cases in hot water as well as soaking the brushes and combs in extremely hot water. Believe it or not, lice like clean hair ;) Bet you never heard that one before. My girls got head lice when they shared a brush with a friend who apparently had it (and this girls mom is a clean freak). So, I would say suggest that technique if all else fails.

Also, I NEVER used the chemical lice treatments on my girls..."Lice Free" is natural and comes with a metal nit comb and it can be used multiple times in one week to make sure all lice are gone. My children never had lice before and knock on wood, haven't had it since.

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Specializes in Maternal - Child Health.

No classroom checks.

No no-nit policy.

Provide information on treatment, laundering and cleaning, encourage nightly combing, consider providing funds for the purchase of shampoo, if needed.

We no longer exclude for lice, unless it's an active case with live bugs and the child is too itchy and distracted to remain in school

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