The Lousy Blog: All About Head Lice

... is that we have to make some noise.

2011-11-11T07:40:00.000-08:00

Parents often ask me if they really need to notify the school about their child having head lice. Naturally, folks are embarrassed and concerned their kids will be teased. But my answer is always a resounding 'yes'. Please advise the school so that the school can advise other parents. If no-one knows there is active lice in the classroom, people will not have the chance to be proactive and take a peek at their children's heads. If we aren't proactive, we can't possibly stop the spread.
The stigma is real. But unless we start openly discussing head lice, acknowledging that it can happen to anyone regardless of social status, income, & personal hygiene, we don't stand a chance of getting on top of the situation.
Take a peek once a week! Check ahead to stop the spread!
Speak up and become an advocate for an open-minded, accepting, kind and loving approach to solving the head lice problem!

.. is that "nothing compares to the kindness of a comb."

2011-10-18T09:33:00.001-07:00

How amazed I was to read about the National Pediculous Assocation's WANTED poster on the CBS Super Screen in Times Square. The NPA wants to bring attention to their 4 step plan for managing head lice infestations.

Deborah Altschuler, President and Founder of the NPA, said that when it comes to protecting children from pesticides and other potentially harmful treatments for head lice, "nothing compares to the kindness of a comb."

Kudos to Ms. Altschuler and the small independant pharmacy in NYC that sells the Licemeister comb -- very similar to Lice Squad's Louse Trap available in Canada. It's great to hear some good old common sense and wisdom applied to lice removal. Manual removal using the best quality steel comb is the safest way to remove lice and their eggs. It works!

is the opportunity to help kids

2011-07-11T13:50:00.000-07:00

Child got head lice?

Think of it as an opportunity to spend an hour looking after them, talking to them, and connecting one-on-one.

I received a lovely note from a little girl last week. Along with "thank you", was a sketch of a hand with the caption "Handy hands at your Servis." This was the cutest thank-you I've received yet!

How blessed to have a unique occupation when you have the chance to connect with a youngster. What a wonderful chance to make sure they know that head lice isn't their fault, that they were just unlucky contracting a case, and that it's not the plague! How nice to remove the source of an annoying itch and leave their hair shiny and conditioned (without the use of nasty, drying chemicals). With a creative 'thank-you' to boot!

.. is that the poor are most at risk.

2011-03-25T19:16:00.000-07:00

According to the unemployed mom who recently called my head lice removal service, a little two-year old has been out of daycare due to a case of head lice. Over the past two weeks, the kind local pharmacist provided different lice shampoos, recommended an environmental pesticide spray for the crib mattress ?!??!?!, and then topped it off with a bottle containing the chemical lindane.

Please visit www.lindane.org, a website run by the National Pediculosis Association in the U.S. for recent findings on the health effects of lindane exposure. Banned from agricultural use since 2006, this is still a substance we can use on our children's (and babies') heads? Hard to believe.

For the FACTS about head lice, and for safe removal WITHOUT the use of potentially harmful PESTICIDES, contact the Lice Squad. 1 866 838 LICE. Because manual removal using a high quality nit comb will always be the best approach.

... is that it takes a community.

2010-07-19T08:41:00.000-07:00

I was reminded again last week by a mom who is exasperated trying to get rid of lice in her daughter's hair.

In early June, lice was identified in her daughter's class and a note went home to parents. Presumably, everyone checked and treated. But three weeks later, this mom found more lice in her daugher's hair. This time, the school refused to send another letter home, stating "we just recently sent a note home." It's pretty safe to say that head lice remained active in that class and is now being spread to unsuspecting kids at summer day camps.

Everyone MUST work together in a community to eradicate lice. If you don't think your school is doing a good job, talk to the principal about regular head lice checks. Ask home and school to help organize regular screening. Assemble a group of parent volunteers. Or call in the pros at Lice Squad. Our regular check-ahead program costs just $2 per head. http://www.licesquad.com/

Hats off to moms, teachers, school secretaries and parent volunteers!

2010-06-18T10:08:00.000-07:00

At an appointment this morning, I heard a mother's frustration AGAIN at her child's school. Why don't they check kids? The mom explained that they sometimes have parent volunteers come in and check children but it doesn't happen all the time.

I know of school secretaries who have this job (among a hundred other things they do), teachers who know what to look for, and volunteers who come in to help. But no-one at the administrative level appears to take any responsibility for it.

The answer at the school board level is "the health department says it's not a health issue" (and hence the school doesn't place any importance on head lice screening.)

So my question is: If the Health Department says it's not a health issue, why is the school board looking to the Health Department for advice on the best practice on dealing with lice? Any answers out there?

... the LouseBuster is coming

2010-04-27T07:32:00.000-07:00

The first innovation - ever - in the treatment of head lice is coming to a Lice Squad service near you. The device is called the LouseBusterTM and it uses heated air in a controlled method to kill all stages of head lice (live bugs and lice eggs). The unit has been FDA-cleared and tested in over 500 people in clinical studies. It has been shown to be safe and effective when used by a certified operator.
The service takes 30 minutes regardless of the type and amount of hair. Lice and eggs are essentially dessicated / dried out -- causing them to die! The treatment is followed by a thorough comb-through to remove all remains of lice.
Lice Squad will offer the LouseBusterTM as part of our in-home treatment and the unit will also be available for sale to institutions, hospitals, school boards and other organizations.

.. is that the British know best.

2010-04-13T05:43:00.001-07:00

I just returned from a family visit to the U.K. My sister, who lives there, likes to collect pamphlets about head lice because she knows this is my favourite topic!

The National Health Service produced an informative brochure on Head Lice distributed through the school system in England. The Brits are big on the "wet-combing" method of head lice removal - the mechanical system that The Lice Squad uses in Canada. No pesticides are recommended whatsoever. And get this -- a clear statement that washing bed linens and clothing was unnecessary. Totally unnecessary! Don't bother with it at all. Same with vacuuming!

The Lice Squad has always turned the head lice sufferer toward removing bugs and eggs from the hair and spending minimal time on the environment. It was terrific to see a national health organization tout the same approach.

Goodbye pesticides. Goodbye housecleaning. Hello an effective, loving, and chemical-free way to handle the dreaded bug.

... is that they incubate on the head!

2009-12-16T04:48:00.001-08:00

I cannot believe that I'm reading another scare tactic of a news release about head lice incubating on plane seats and train seats. For goodness sakes!

While it is true that head lice can fall off a human head and land on a seat to be picked up by the next person that sits there, the chances of this are very low. Head lice transfer from head to head which is why they spread within families and between children who play and work closely together in a school, daycare of camp setting.

Incubation can refer to the maturing of the lice egg but lice eggs are ONLY laid on the human hair close to the scalp where the environment is moist and warm. Lice don't lay eggs on anything other than human hair -- and amazingly enough, hair on the head rather than any other part of the body.

So - don't believe the scare tactics you read. There's enough paranoia in the world about germs and bugs without worrying about picking up a bug from a mode of public transportation. For the FACTS, call the Lice Squad or visit www.licesquad.com

... is that awareness is key.

2009-10-14T06:36:00.001-07:00

Head lice is just one of those things no-one really talks about ... until you're face-to-face with a pesky little creature the size of a sesame seed.

I watched the perplexed faces of many a passer-by at my Head Lice display at an agricultural fair recently. I know people were thinking "What the heck?" and "Why would you ever need a service like that?" Hopefully, you never need to know ... but if and when you do, you'll be happy to hear about The Lice Squad.

Advocating for a non-pesticide approach, and offering a fast, effective, safe in-home treatment service, is what we're all about. The first rule is not to panic and rush out to the drug store. Call us first for a free phone consultation. We'll set the record straight and point you in the right direction to end your battle quickly and effectively.

... Head Lice Day!

2009-09-30T19:51:00.001-07:00

October 1st is National Head Lice Awareness Day!

To celebrate the day, free screening clinics are operating around Ontario and in BC, and a new Head Lice Information kit is downloadable from http://www.licesquad.com/. The kit contains a little colouring book for kids to help them understand what head lice is and where it comes from.

Lice Squad wants to offer a public service to those who think they might have a case and to those who want to check that a past case is actually gone. The company also wants to educate Canadians and let them know that there IS an alternative to traditional pesticide shampoos.

Come out and meeting the Nitpicker team and get the Facts of Lice!

..is that you have to experience it.

2009-09-30T05:56:00.000-07:00

This morning there was a glorious, bright, beautiful rainbow in the field behind our house. As my daughter and I marvelled at it, I thought I would go and get the camera. "It's fading mum!" my daughter said, and as quickly as it arrived, it disappeared.

It occurred to me that a rainbow is just something you have to experience. Just observe it. Experience it. So what does a rainbow have to do with head lice?

I've been promoting Head Lice Awareness Day this week with limited excitement from people. And I'm now realizing why. Head Lice is something you have to experience. If you don't know what's it like, you don't get excited about it. If you meet someone who's been through it, boy, do they have a lot to tell you! It's almost a rite of passage in childhood. An experience as common as the common cold. Though it doesn't disappear as quickly as that rainbow, with a little patience and perseverance, it will pass. And you'll be wiser for the experience. Call the Lice Squad if you need help. www.licesquad.com

.. is that if Courtney Cox can talk about it ...

2009-09-24T05:44:00.000-07:00

... so can the rest of us!

Good for Courtney Cox for alerting her celebrity friends about her daugher's case of head lice.

Head lice is nothing to be embarrassed about or ashamed of. It's as common as the cold and catching a case is nothing short of bad luck.

Lice like clean hair as much as dirty hair. In fact, they are thankful for any hair so that they can crawl to their one and only food source - blood from the human head! They hang around in the 'kitchen' like everybody else - feeding on the scalp and laying eggs on the hair very close to the scalp where it's nice and warm.

Anyway - there is no need for the old stigma associating lice with unclean people and unsanitary living conditions. If you're feeling upset about a case, remember you're in good company with lots of other people including Courtney Cox! And if you need help, contact The Lice Squad at www.licesquad.com.

... is that a rose by any other name ...

2009-09-19T05:46:00.001-07:00

"Please don't mention the word lice" said one mother to a Lice Squad technician. "You can call it 'sand' because we've been away at the beach and my daughters have lots of sand in their hair."

The representative carefully and quietly provided our in-home head lice removal treatment being cautious not to use any words that would alert the girls to what was causing the itch on their scalps. True, lice eggs can look like sand -- a sandy brown/grey colour and not much bigger than a gritty grain of sand.

The stigma about head lice exists and is real. We are working hard to dispel the myths because fact is that lice is the second most common affliction next to the common cold and an estimated two millions Canadians will have a head lice experience every single year. There's nothing dirty about getting head lice and it has nothing to do with age, income, or where you live. And there is nothing to gain by calling lice by any other name. If we all talk about it and get the issue out into the open, we'll go a long way toward eradicating the stigma (and the lice!). Get the facts at http://www.licesquad.com/.

.. is that it's not a disease.

2009-08-26T10:22:00.001-07:00

I wonder if anyone heard my radio interview this morning on 99.9 The Fox in Sarnia. When speaking of how common lice is, I commented that head lice is the second most communicable disease next to the common cold. In the car en route home, I replayed the interview in my mind, and realized that I had inadvertantly referred to lice as a 'disease'.

Of course, head lice is not a disease. It's a common condition and a real nuisance. We do sometimes wonder if it might cause disease seeing as the little creatures do feed on human blood from the scalp and so it's reasonable to think there's the tiniest chance of a louse being able to spread disease, but there isn't any research available on that.

Suffice to say, lice is NOT a disease. It's a common issue that is treatable. You can get rid of lice with patience, with thorough combing, and without the use of pesticides. The Lice Squad can help. www.licesquad.com

... all seasons are lice seasons.

2009-08-06T05:03:00.000-07:00

It's time for pharmaceuticals to start releasing new head lice treatment products "just in time for the back to school season." This common marketing pitch leads people to believe that the autumn is prime time for lice.

Not true. Lice is with us year round. In fact, in my local Lice Squad business, July was a record month. And this isn't to do with summer camps. It's to do with parents noticing cases and possibly having the time to treat and take care of lice. Perhaps parents are on the look-out after summer camps or overnight getaways.

Every week throughout the year, parents are advised to inspect for lice, especially if they notice their children scratching their heads. Ten minutes of combing each week, with a high-quality nit comb like the NitFree Terminator comb, will detect lice early and treat it before it has time to spread.

... is that camps are not to blame.

2009-07-27T18:38:00.001-07:00

July has been a record month for my local Lice Squad business. Busiest month since I purchased the franchise three years ago.

Most calls these days begin with "my child just returned from camp and I found lice!" Sometimes we actually find what seems to be a more established case, possibly left over from school in June. And othertimes, it's indeed a new case. Just look at the nice head-to-head contact

in the photo.

The summer spike in business is not so much to do with summer camp programs, but more to do with what I call "the big mix up". Kids spend ten months of the year hanging around a pretty consistent group of school friends. Then, in the summer, they "mix up" -- they meet new friends at camp, they travel, they attend family reunions and they just generally spend time with a different group of kids. Not all communities and schools are as diligent about screening for lice and enforcing no-nit policies. And so new friends bring new "friends" and so on and so on.

.. is that NITS are the PITS!

2009-07-06T18:51:00.000-07:00

I'm not a big fan of traditional head lice shampoos. Even if they do kill lice as they claim, it's doubtful that they can kill a nit (a lice egg). Most shampoos say to treat again one week later and this is because a new batch of baby lice will have hatched by then. So, while shampoos may work on lice, they don't penetrate a lice egg to kill the little creature inside.

Nits or lice eggs must be removed manually with the best quality nit comb you can buy. If the comb doesn't cost at least $25, it's not the quality you need. Choose a comb with stainless steel teeth set closely together. Tines should be at least one to two includes long and very sturdy.

NITS are the PITS and they are the reason many families experience repeat cases. A case that pops up three weeks after you first treat it, is likely the same case -- just a new batch of babies have hatched, mated, and the life cycle has begun again.

.. is that nitpicking is a terrific job.

2009-07-01T18:20:00.000-07:00

If you witnessed our annual lice convention held last weekend in Collingwood, Ontario, you would know that nitpickers are a lively bunch. These are the detail oriented women (and a couple men) who provide in-home head lice removal services throughout Ontario, BC and in Halifax Nova Scotia.

Many are hairdressers and personal support workers. A few of us found our way to the profession simply based on a personal hands-on experience! All of us love the business, love relieving itchy heads and love helping stressed parents. We correct myths, and provide education and instruction. Best of all, we spread the word that there is a non-pesticide method of head lice removal that is safe, effective and fast.

And if you're an entrepreneur, franchises are available throughout Canada. Join a fast-growing niche business where there is plenty of demand for service!

Hats-off to the Lice Squad nitpicker team!

... is that professionals do it best.

2009-06-27T19:19:00.000-07:00

True Story. I helped a young mom this week who had another service provider visit her the previous week. She had waited two weeks for an appointment. The client told me that the rep spent four hours picking by hand and finished one-third of the mom's hair. "Sorry, time's up," she said.

Our service standard is to help clients within 48 hours -- often same day or the following day. Treating head lice cannot wait. The longer you have it, the worse it gets. And there's a chance of transmitting it to other family members.

When you detect lice, call the Lice Squad before you go to the drugstore. If you check out another service, ask what they do, what products they use, and ask about their guarantee.

Book a professional, someone who specializes in head lice and nothing else. The service is worth every penny.

is that they create mattress fear.

2009-06-16T05:09:00.000-07:00

Mattress fear comes with the territory in my business. Plenty of clients tell me that they are sleeping on the floor, on the couch, in the lazyboy chair. Some wrap their mattresses in plastic. Others spray them with chemicals.

Hello mattress people. Pediculus humanus capitas is literally bug of the human head. These creatures live in the hair of humans. They feed on the scalp. They lay eggs on the hair. They spend their days crawling around the human head doing the things that bugs do.

Lice do not colonize in the mattress or anywhere else in the house. If they become displaced, they have fallen off and some scientists say that if this happens, they are so injured (delicate things) that they won't be much good to anyone anyways. Yes, a louse or a hair with a viable egg could fall out of the hair while you are sleeping and land on your pillow. But it's going to be hungry soon (or hatch soon) and do everything it can to crawl back onto its food source. End of story.

... is their ability to frustrate.

2009-06-08T07:37:00.000-07:00

Even the most well-put-together moms can come apart at the seams when a bug is spotted in their child's hair.

I know because I was one of them. It's not that there's any serious health concern going on here ... it's just that you have other things to do and dealing with head lice can eat up hours of precious time and energy.

My first advice would be to concentrate on the hair/head and not the house. Leave the housework, sheet-changing, laundry, etc. Spend your time nitpicking. The head is the homeland of the louse and if there is one in the environment, it's going to be working hard to find a head to crawl onto for its next blood meal!

Second piece of advice - get help from The Lice Squad. 1 866 838 5423. In Ontario, BC and Halifax, NS.

... is how darn hard it is to see.

2009-05-28T11:15:00.000-07:00

Unless you are a professional, that is. I was examining some specimins I collected last week (my daughter thought she'd like to look at them under the powerful microscope in her highschool science lab - then she changed her mind!) and it struck me how darn small these things are. No wonder parents get frustrated and no wonder it takes quite an established colony before you stand a chance of noticing one.

In our service, we use directional light and a magnifying visor to assist us. It would be virtually impossible to do the job without it. These tools combined with the best comb on the market mean we actually do stand a good chance of capturing the tiniest little nymph!

... is to check everyone!

2009-05-15T13:20:00.000-07:00

Most families are glad to meet our team and glad when we're gone! They often say jokingly "we hope we hever see you again!"

No offense is taken because we know familes are now equipped to look after the head lice problem should it surface again; we've given them the tools and education to rid of the bug safely and effectively and without pesticides.

But recently we were called back. The girls had it again. This time, a teenage son who had opted out of the screening we typically insist upon, appeared. Sure enough, he had an active case. Though the girls had been taken care of, his case had spread and the family was at it again.

So, step right up and get checked when it's offered. Even if you don't have an itch. And the bonus? It actually feels quite nice to have your hair screened for lice!

... is their similarity to dandelions

2009-05-13T05:34:00.000-07:00

Okay, it's not easy to see the similarity between dandelions and head lice. But this morning, on my dog walk, wow - what a revelation.

There, on a neighbour's lawn, were dozens of uprooted dandelions. Manually uprooted. As in 'manually removed without the use of pesticides'! Joy, on bliss.

With the recent ban on the use of pesticides/herbicides for cosmetic use on lawns, my neighbour had opted for manual removal -- just like many of my customers do.

And so today, there is a similarity between dandelions and head lice.

... is that moms do it best.

2009-05-10T06:53:00.001-07:00

It's Mother's Day today and so I salute all the moms that have the nitpicking job in the family.

Sure there are plenty of nitpicky dads who are detail-oriented and quite skilled at locating the hard-to-find nits. There are also dads who are great with hair -- I speak of my own father in particular; mum used to head out to work before 7:00 a.m. so she could be home for us after school, so dad was very adept at combing my and my sister's long hair, braiding it and putting in bobby-pins to keep it all in place.

But by and far, handling hair, locating lice, and carefully removing their eggs, is in the mom's realm of responsibility. It's a long and ardous task and today, my hat goes off to all the moms who will get out the nit-comb (on their special day) and be up for the task of ridding their kids heads of lice!

... is we need "World Lice Day"

2009-04-28T14:16:00.000-07:00

I wonder ... since head lice are the top of the food chain (nothing feeds on lice!) and since head lice is specific to humans (can't live on pets or anywhere other than on its feeding ground - the scalp), then if we held "World Head Lice" day where every single person had their hair combed through to thoroughly remove all lice and eggs, then we could eradicate the creatures once and for all. It's true. It would work.

...is wet-combing works

2009-04-09T06:42:00.000-07:00

What has frustated me most about the head lice business is that families are continually urged to buy a head lice pediculicidal shampoo. The Canadian Pediatric Association goes as far as to say that nothing kills head lice but a head lice shampoo from your pharmacist - a potent pesticide formula that can be over-used and misused as parents go around in circles trying to eradicate a case with one dousing after another.

The truth is that head lice removal is a process. Nothing gets rid of head lice and their eggs but a regular routine of combing with the best nit comb you can buy. There are no sprays, no shampoos, no formulas where you can spray or soak a head, and know that head lice is gone.

The problem is that eggs remain on the hair and must be removed manually. Yes, products claim to kill eggs and though they may do a partial job, many eggs remain viable. This is why you must repeat shampoo treatments. The premise is that the first treatment kills the active lice that day. The next treatment kills baby lice that hatched since the last treatment. A further treatment gets any new lice that hatch. And so on and so on. Meanwhile, you are letting a nasty chemical work (by attacking the nervous system of the bug) while sitting on your child's scalp. Perhaps no pesticide is absorbed into human skin. But perhaps not. The products do recommend a parent wear gloves when applying the treatment. Makes you wonder.

... is its urgency

2009-03-04T08:05:00.000-08:00

When a mom discovers lice on the head of her child, the matter feels pretty urgent. Once over the initial shock, a parents wants to get rid of it as quickly as possible and stop it before it spreads to other members of the family.

So it's understandable that products promising 100% eradication of lice and eggs with a single treatment are so popular. Into the car mom jumps, races to the drugstore, get the goods and douses the head. Douse mom's own head for good measure. Whew! Done with!

Not so fast. Like any situation that feels urgent, the best first step it to remain calm. Lice don't hop, jump or fly, so no-one is going to contract a case by being in the same room, breathing the same air. No need to quarantine a child.

Do a bit of research to understand the life cycle of the louse. The first thing you will find is that one single treatment is not likely to eradicate a case. Most treatments, while effective on adult bugs, have limited effect on lice eggs and these therefore need to be removed manually. Lice removal is a process of reduction meaning that the first day, you remove the majority of lice and eggs, and then subsequent combings over several days will removes remaining eggs and baby lice as they may hatch.

You are much better off to purchase the best nit comb on the market (the NitFree Terminator) and comb both the live lice and the eggs out of the hair. With this wet-comb-through method, you will not only beat the lice, but you will have a tool that will last you for any future treatments should the pest find its way to household heads again.

See the blog post below to learn about the wet comb-through method.

Get the facts about lice at www.licesquad.com

... is that you can get rid of it easily.

2009-02-27T07:17:00.001-08:00

Yes, there is a cure for head lice. It's called the wet-combing method. Anyone can do it and all it takes it the best nit-removal comb on the market (The NitFree Terminator or the LiceMeister), regular hair conditioner, time and love.

Your doctor or health professional will most likely point you in the direction of the pharmacy for a pediculicidal shampoo, most containing pyrethrins. These shampoos have little effect on the lice eggs which means repeated treatments with insecticidal shampoos several days apart; the idea being to kill the bugs as they hatch from the eggs.

The wet-combing method is a common approach to egg and lice removal but unfortunately, in North America, many people want more of an instant fix. They believe the marketing claims of 100% death or bugs and nits after just two applications. They douse their kids' heads with potent pesticides, do the laundry and vacuuming, and carry on with life (often, only to repeat the process a few days or weeks later).

Combing will remove both the bugs and their eggs (or nits). The first comb-through will take a good hour to an hour and a half. Following that, combing for about 10-15 minutes every other day for a period of about a couple of weeks will clear out any eggs remaining in the hair after the first major comb-through. Yes, it's time-consuming. Yes, it requires patience. Put on a DVD for your son or daughter, get a comfortable chair, and get rid of lice safely without the use of pesticides!

THE METHOD:

Saturate the hair with hair conditioner. This will ease tangles and will help the comb slide through the hair easily and painlessly.

Section the hair into four sections - front right, front left, back right and back left. Beginning with one section, take about one-square inch of hair at a time. Begin right at the scalp and comb from the top down, from the sides, and from the bottom. After about 8 passes through that section, wipe the comb on a white paper towel. If there are lice and eggs present, you will easily see them in the white conditioner on the white paper towel. Repeat and wipe. If lice/eggs are still seen, repeat. If no lice/eggs are seen, clip that section up and move to the next square inch section.

Continue this process until the entire head is done. This should take at least one hour; longer for thicker or longer hair.

If desired, an oil soak can also be done if you haven't used a pediculicidal shampoo in the last several days. Saturate the hair with olive oil, wrap in a shower cap or towel and leave on at least four hours, or overnight. Wash out throughly afterwards. Oil will suffocate live lice by clogging up the holes they breathe through. Of course, oil will not remove eggs as they are securely cemented on the hair shafts. These must be removed manually.

If you live in Ontario or British Columbia, or live in Halifix, Nova Scotia, there are trained nitpickers who will complete this process for you in your home. Visit http://www.licesquad.com/ to book an in-home appointment.

is how common a condition it is.

2009-02-24T05:53:00.000-08:00

In the last month or so, I have screened children at three schools. The incidence of head lice ranged from about 1% to 10% of the school population. In a school of over 300 children, more than 30 had cases. At the low range, at least a handful of children were found to have active cases of head lice.

Rather than ponder the various theories of why head lice is so prevalent today, my point about the high incidence of head lice is to let people know how very common this pest is.

So many parents are mortified, horrified, embarrassed and angry that they have found head lice. The reality is that it goes around pretty well like the common cold. No-one is really immune; even those who are certain they have not had any contact with anyone with a case can still discover that the nasty little bug found them anyway.

People remark that they didn't ever have lice as a kid but that so many they know seem to have it now. Again, head lice can affect babies through to grandmothers. My youngest case was about 8 months old and my oldest case, 90 years of age!

Lice is a fact of life today especially for school age kids. It can be on the heads of people in private schools, public schools, institutions, daycares, hospitals, retirement homes, group homes, shelters, summer camps and movie theatres. There's nowhere to hide!

Lice is hear to stay. Get educated. Get the comb. Make a head lice check part of a weekly routine.

...is its staying power.

2009-02-22T09:33:00.000-08:00

One day, early in my nitpicking career, a little boy said to me: "Okay, if head lice have no predators whatsoever, and lice don't live anywhere but on the human head, and don't eat anything but human blood from the scalp, and nothing gets rid of lice but nitpicking them out, then if we all got together and picked them out of our heads, then couldn't we get rid of them entirely?"

I found the boy quite insightful for being all of about nine years old. And the answer to his question was of course, 'yes.'

In theory, head lice could be eliminated if everyone got down to business and rid their scalps and their children's scalps of this dreaded bug.

Though I may dream of a World Lice Day, an international effort to eradicate the creatures one by one until they were all gone, the scenario is likely to remain in my dreams.

After all, golden nit combs were found among Queen Cleopatra's personal items in her ancient Egyptian tomb. They've plagued everyone from soldiers in the trenches to kids in Junior Kindergarten, and they've flourished in the poorest villages and the richest subdivisions.

The boy's other question that day was 'why did he get head lice?'

And with lice having nothing to do with hygiene and everything to do with luck, I responded that it was so that he could meet me, and we could have this great conversation about this all-too-common pest. And that I could eventually launch a blog about the bug!

NPC