Scratching your Head over Head Lice?

Scratching Your Head Over Head Lice?
Prevention tips for your service

Head lice are tiny insects that live primarily on the head and scalp. They should not be confused with body lice, which may be found in clothing and bedding as well as on the body.

Although small, adult head lice may be seen with the naked eye. Because lice move rapidly and only a few may be present, using a hand lens or magnifying glass may allow them to be seen more easily. Head lice suck blood, and the rash caused by their feeding activities may be more noticeable than the insects themselves.

Head lice attach their eggs at the base of a hair shaft. These eggs, or nits, appear as tiny white or dark ovals and are especially noticeable on the back of the neck and around the ears. Adult head lice cannot survive for more than 48 hours apart from the human host.

Head lice are primarily spread through direct head to head contact, although sharing personal items such as hats, brushes, combs, and linens may play a role in their spread between children.

Head lice are a common occurrence among young children and child care providers should establish a proactive head lice management protocol before outbreaks occur.

Establish and Maintain a Head Lice Policy

Communicate your head lice policy to your staff and teach them how to properly identify head lice and nits (lice eggs). Ideally staff members should understand the rationale behind your policy and should be prepared to respond to child and parent questions. Because dismissal from care can be awkward, be sure parents are aware of what your policy says about dismissing kids with nits and when they may return.
As part of your enrolment process provide parents with your written policy and educational literature on prevention, detection and treatment of head lice. Parents should understand the importance of screening often, detecting head lice and nits as early as possible and removing them safely and effectively.
Announce regularly scheduled screening dates and send reminders the day before. Notify parents in advance of any additional screening whenever possible. Reinforce your efforts by encouraging parents to make lice inspection part of the child’s personal hygiene care at home. Screenings are most easily done as part of the child’s normal routine – after bathing or showering when their hair would be combed anyway.

Teach Screening Procedures

Group inspections should be done with disposable screening sticks. Look for nits – tiny yellowish-white oval eggs firmly attached at an angle to the hair shaft. Contrary to some claims, nits found more than a quarter inch from the scalp are not necessarily dead. Viable nits can be found anywhere on the hair. The diagnosis is made more often by seeing the attached nits than by finding crawling lice.
Be sure not to confuse nits with hair debris such as DEC plugs (bright white irregularly-shaped clumps of dandruff stuck to the hair shaft), or hair casts (elongated segments of dandruff encircling the hair shaft).
Although nits may be more prevalent at the nape of the neck, around the ears and at the crown of the head, check the entire scalp since nits can be found anywhere in the hair.
Nits are tiny and can be difficult to remove. They are firmly attached to the hair shaft and cannot be brushed out or removed with a regular comb.
Lice are about the size of a sesame seed, clear in color when first hatched and then become brown after they feed, and move quickly away from light.
Two people checking through a child’s hair at the same time can be helpful.

Parent Notification and Temporary Dismissal

When a case of head lice is found:

Infested children should be prepared for pick-up with a minimum of fuss. When the parent arrives, he/she should be given another copy of your head lice policy and your guidelines explaining when the child may return. It is helpful to have lice combs on hand to ensure the child is treated safely and successfully and able to return as quickly as possible. The comb can also be used for parents to screen themselves.
Notify all parents that lice have been found within the group and arrange for the entire group to be screened as soon as possible. Screenings can be conducted close to dismissal time in order to minimise disruption. Remind parents to check all their children carefully each day for the next few weeks and to continue checking as part of their routine hygiene.
Advise parents about their treatment options and be prepared to answer questions. Parents may feel overwhelmed and will probably need to review the information you give them.
Reassure parents that head lice do not necessarily reflect unsanitary households or neglected children and remember that parents may find it distressing to be told their child is being dismissed due to a head lice infestation.
Use a quality lice removal comb to examine children returning after an infestation to confirm successful resolution before the child re-enters the group. The comb will detect even what could be missed during visual inspection to ensure the child is lice and nit free.

Inspect Your Facility

Coats and hats should be hung separately and spaced so they do not touch. Lice do not hop, jump or fly. Hats should be tucked into coat sleeves and coats should not be piled or stacked.
Children should not share clothing or headgear.
Review your policy on dress-up corners. Dress-up is a valuable play activity, but it can also be risky for head lice outbreaks. Make sure you wash your dress-up clothes regularly and/or consider replacing them with disposable items.
Sleeping mats or towels brought from home should be individually labeled and stored in separate cubbies or in a duffle-type bag. Ideally, such items should be laundered or vacuumed regularly.
Carpeted areas should be vacuumed as regularly as possible.

Prevent New Outbreaks

Review procedures with staff and consider steps that may not have been regularly adhered to such as separating sleeping mats, coats and hats.
Remind children of the importance of not sharing headgear or personal articles.
Remind parents of the importance of screening often, detecting head lice and nits as early as possible, removing them and continuing to screen as part of their routine hygiene.
Encourage the children and help them feel comfortable about speaking up if they feel itchy.

This information was originally sourced on www.headlice.org