Health and Medical

Head lice - take a peak once a week!

Hello families, 

Head Lice is very common in school-aged children.  People get head lice from direct head-to-head contact with another person who has live head lice.  This can happen when children play, cuddle or work closely together. 

If your child has head lice it is important that they are excluded from school until their hair has been treated. (Once treatment has commenced they can return to school).

It is also very important to notify the school and repeat chemical treatment in 7 & 14 days to kill any newly hatched eggs, there is no topical treatment that kills 100% of the eggs. 

Using conditioner and a nit comb is a cheap and effective way to find head lice in your child/ren’s hair.  NOTE conditioner DOES NOT KILL head lice but stuns them for a short while so they cannot move or hang onto the hair, giving you a chance to comb through the hair with the lice comb to determine if your child has lice.  IF you detect head lice, begin a suitable chemical treatment method straight away.

TREATMENT

Please speak with your local pharmacist about current treatments available.

Treatment should be extended to all family members in the same household.  

Wash bedding, comforters, hats and soft toys from the bed. 

Children with long hair should have their hair tied back to help avoid infestation.

For more information about head lice treatment, please feel free to contact me for advice. 

Kind regards 

Belinda Schodde  

School Nurse