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Back to School - Back to Lice

Tuesday, 15 September 2015 08:43

Sharing hats, headbands, and scarves can put children at risk for lice, but selfies aren't helping matter either.

With the kids back to school one thing to watch out for is head lice. 

One of the ways kids spread lice is through head to head contact. Public Health Nurse With the Woodstock Public Health Unit Colleen Wilson tells Heart FM the popularity of the selfie is not helping the cause. 

"That certainly can help spread head lice, that leaning in together, especially with little children as well, playing closely with a toy and kind of leaning their heads forward, that would definitely count as close contact." 

Wilson says another way you can spread lice is through sharing hats, scarves, and headbands. Parents can help by looking through your child's hair on a weekly basis. Wilson says if your child does contract head lice it is important to use the proper shampoo and follow the instructions.

"The reason often that we think that people are becoming resistant to treatment is people are not using it properly, so they are often using it when they don't need to use it or they are not following the directions and the head lice are getting used to the chemical." 

Wilson also notes head lice is not a sign of poor hygiene . 

"It's definitely not a sign of poor hygiene at all, and it is not a health hazard as well. It is totally just an inconvenience."

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