LICE ARE NOT SO NICE!
Please monitor your child's head frequently for lice. It is important to catch a case of lice as a soon as possible.
Who is at risk for getting head lice?
“Head lice are found worldwide. In the United States, infestation with head lice is most common among preschool children attending child care, elementary school children, and the household members of infested children. Although reliable data on how many people in the United States get head lice each year are not available, an estimated 6 million to 12 million infestations occur each year in the United States among children 3 to 11 years of age. “ - CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) |
WPS Protocol for head lice:
If you suspect your child has head lice, please contact your child’s health care provider regarding appropriate treatment. Contact your child’s school nurse if your child is diagnosed as having head lice. If head lice are diagnosed, do not allow your child to return to school until the morning after the first treatment, nit removal, and cleaning of personal items. You must accompany your child to the clinic upon re-entry into school to be checked by the nurse. Your child may return to class only if he/she is free of live lice. Per the new WPS LICE POLICY, children may NOT be excluded from school if only nits are found. The school nurse will also recheck your child 7-10 days after treatment. Continue to check your child’s hair daily for 10-14 days after treatment and regularly thereafter. Please reinforce with your child the importance of not sharing hats, scarves, coats, and personal items (especially brushes, combs and hair ornaments). |
The Facts of Lice
* Nits (the eggs of the head louse) are small, yellowish-white, oval-shaped eggs that are "glued" to the side of a hair shaft at an angle.
* Nits must be laid by live lice. You cannot "catch nits."
* Once laid, it takes 7-10 days for a nit to hatch, and another 7-10 days for the female to mature and begin laying her own eggs.
* Head lice are clear in color when hatched, and then quickly develop a reddish-brown color after feeding.
* Head lice are about the size of sesame seeds.
* Head lice have six legs equipped with claws to grasp the hair.
* Head lice are crawling insects. They cannot hop, jump, or fly.
* Head lice do not thrive on pets.
* Head lice are small, wingless insects that feed on human blood. They need human blood in order to survive.
* Head lice live for approximately 30 days on a host and a female louse may lay up to 100 nits (eggs).
* Head lice off of their human hosts will starve. The NPA suggests that, in most cases, a head louse will not survive for more than 24 hours off of its human host.