Parent’s Corner
Here’s all the info, questions and challenges regarding safely and effectively treating lice, Once and For All
Lice Facts
Do you know out of 29% children population in Pakistan, 2 to 4 million children are infested with head lice each year. But very often parents contract head lice from their children.
Fact 1
Lice are not related to cleanliness These insects prefer clean hair over dirty hair. Like seriously !
Fact 2
Anyone can get lice if they are in close contact with someone who has lice in their hair.
Fact 3
Lice only infects people, not animals. And lice cannot fly or hop. Lice can only spread by creeping from one scalp to another.
Fact 4
It is very common to get lice from hair brushes, hats or combs if used within 24 hrs. Yet, lice cannot survive off the hair scalp for that long of a time.
TYPES OF LICE
There are many types of lice. Famously, the head louse, also known as Pediculus humanus capitis, is a parasitic insect that can be found on the human head, sometimes even in the eyebrows of people too. Adult lice will be the most obvious and easiest to spot because they are the biggest. But at the size of a watermelon seed, they still aren’t really that big. Although head lice vary in color, if you see a gray-white or tan brown lice crawling through the hair, it is probably a louse. If you look closely at an adult louse, you should be clearly able to see human blood inside it.
LIFE CYCLE
Primarily, there are three stages of the lice life cycle: egg, nymph and adult.
ANATOMY
Essentially, head lice have six claws designed to crawl from one hair strand to another. Actually, these claws allow them to move from head to head.
HEAD TO HEAD
Mostly, head lice infestation occurs when a female adult louse moves to a new head and lays eggs. When these eggs hatch, the lice will most probably stay on that head throughout their entire lice life cycle. Also, unless the head is treated and all lice and eggs in the head are killed, the head lice infestation will continue for conversely long the lice can live.
Do I have Lice?
You may look at the hair strands about a quarter inch (~0.5 cm) off your hair scalp. You need to see if you can find lice eggs (also known as nits) attached to individual hair. Though, nits are extremely small. And nits look like tiny specks and they will be glued pretty securely to the hair. If you see any nits, try pulling them off with your fingers. If you can’t easily pull nits off, they are probably eggs and not dandruff.
How long can lice live?
Surprisingly, head lice can live for around 40-45 days on or in your head, excluding the 8-9 days they spend as eggs. As head bugs, head lice feed on human blood several times a day.
How can I get Lice?
Head lice are most common in young school going children who daily go to daycare, elementary school or college. However, high school students, and children often study and play close together with hair-to-hair contact and may share combs, hairbrushes, hats, hair clips, and the like.
Adults who live with children in the same house, also have a higher risk of getting head lice.
How can I kill lice?
There are many ways to kill lice. Thinking of many, you can suffocate them, poison them, or dry them out in your head. You can also starve lice if you get them away from their food source i.e. your head, well long enough. You would be amazed to know if you take them out from your head and put in a bowl, they will die within 24 to 48 hours.
