By Dr Phil Kieran,Irishexaminer.com
Copyright irishexaminer
Even typing this, I can feel my scalp itching, and whenever that letter comes home from my children’s school, I know we are in for a stressful time, checking and re-checking to make sure we don’t have lice coming home from school.
For children with short hair, this checking is generally pretty quick and well-tolerated, but for those with long or thicker hair, checking and treating can be an ordeal.
Unfortunately, there is no sure-fire way to prevent lice, but understanding how they spread can help reduce the risk somewhat.
Head lice move from head-to-head via direct contact or by transfer on objects such as hairbrushes or clothes. They can’t, as many people believe, jump or fly, so you don’t get headlice from just standing or sitting near someone else.
For children with long hair, keeping it tied up if there is an outbreak of lice can help to reduce the risk of their hair coming into contact with a classmate who has lice. However, children often put their heads together to look at something, so tying up their hair offers limited protection.
It is also a good idea to avoid sharing hats, hairbrushes or swapping jumpers in school if head lice is a concern. Lice can cling to clothing as it comes off over the hair and transfer when the item is in contact with another person’s head.
As with so many parenting topics, it can be tricky to tread a fine line between teaching our children how to be careful while avoiding terrifying them about normal closeness with their friends.
Regularly checking for lice can help detect them early and treat them before they multiply and become more difficult to manage. We do this by wet combing the hair with a lice detection (fine-toothed) comb. It is essential to detangle and brush the hair with a regular brush first to avoid too much pulling on the hair when using the detection brush.
If the lice combing could be combined with a pleasant experience for your daughter, such as reading or listening to a story, it could be a good idea to do this once a week or so during the school year to catch lice early.
For all parents, I encourage you to inform the school as soon as possible if you find your child has head lice. Early notification allows other parents to check promptly and treat their children, reducing the risk of the outbreak becoming widespread.
If you have a question for Dr Phil Kieran, please send it to parenting@examiner.ie
