Lice: the Dreaded Four Letter Word

Lice: the Dreaded Four Letter Word

No parent wants to hear that their child or children have lice.  When you hear the word lice what is the first thing that you think of?  Many parents think that when you get lice it is either by being too clean or too dirty.  Honestly, lice will make a home on any human head no matter the texture, style, cleanliness or lack thereof.  Lice are looking for a good human host.  Lice do not discriminate, if they think you are a good host then you are the chosen one.  Head lice are small insects that live on people’s heads and feed on human blood.  They feed several times during a 24-hour period.  Lice cannot live without human blood for more than 24-48 hours. They will eventually dehydrate and die.

How do you get lice you ask?  Head lice are typically spread through head-to-head contact or by sharing personal items such as a comb, hairbrush or clothing. Talking to our children about “personal space” is a conversation that is never too early to have.  The earlier they learn about it the more they will be aware.  When kids play, they may naturally place their heads close together.  Explain to them what head-to-head contact is, what it looks like and how it happens.

When people, especially kids come into close contact or share belongings, lice can easily pass from one person to the other. Lice are spread by someone rarely by something.  Lice do not jump, hop, fly or burrow.  They do not infest your home or any of your animals.  This parasite prefers a dark, warm environment and is often discovered behind ears, under a ponytail and at the nape of the neck. Head lice are extremely small about the size of a sesame seed.  They can be tan, brown or grey in color.  They are good at camouflaging themselves to your hair color as kind of a “survival instinct”.

Always remember,

Hugs can spread bugs

-Alley