Head Lice at School. What should I do if I receive a letter about an infestation in class?

The posters at school or the letter that arrives home announce it: head lice have appeared at school. As summer approaches, the contagion increases because the percentage of nits that hatch increases and because the incubation time decreases as these uncomfortable little critters seek warmth to reproduce.

There is no school that doesn't have these uncomfortable students at some time of the year. However, nowadays it is an illness almost as common as a cold. As one of the Lice In Sight® technicians, I notice that more and more girls between the ages of 12 and 16 are searching the internet for ways to get rid of head lice using chemical products that can often damage the scalp and hair. There are increasing numbers of schools receiving complaints from parents, who believe the focus is on classrooms, cafeterias, and playgrounds. I can say that this is not the case. The infestations are on our children's heads, not in the environment, not on the trees, chairs, desks, or classroom floors.

A few days ago, a school contacted us asking us to disinfect all its classrooms. We explained to the school administration that it was a chore, and therefore an absurd expense. A school disinfects itself, without any intervention, as soon as the infested children go home after school. It becomes infested again the next morning when the first infested child arrives. Once these insects infect a head, they are born, grow, reside, feed, reproduce, and die—in this case, on the heads of our children. Off the head, a louse has a very limited lifespan, just a few hours. So let's allocate the school's lice fumigation budget for something else useful and necessary for the students.

We believe that when school ends, the head lice problem ends, but this isn't true. Many of our children attend summer camps, where infestations are more frequent. It's also a time of rest for parents, and we relax; we're not so concerned about checking heads, and contagion occurs.

The problem of human pediculosis (lice) can be easily treated and prevented, without having to remove the child from the classroom, as if it were a serious infection. We come to you, make home visits, and eradicate it in an hour and a half naturally, without the use of chemicals. An infected child can infect an entire family; we confirm this when we perform screening tests, which include everyone from 10-month-old babies to people in their eighties. Remember, it's essential to check your children's heads at least once a week, as head lice don't have a specific day or time of day when they can infect someone else. All of the Lice In Sight technicians are experts in eliminating human pediculosis (lice). We can inform and help you with how to do it so that it's not a torture for your child or the rest of the family.

If you receive a note from school informing you that there's a problem in the classroom, the first thing to do is not get nervous, and before going to the pharmacy to buy any products (something some mothers have told me they've done), check for an infestation. One of the most common symptoms is that the child begins to scratch, although it's true that many cases have been reported in asymptomatic children who don't itch. At this point, it's important to check your child's hair for lice and nits, and if in doubt, seek medical advice. If the diagnosis is positive, we must remember that head lice should not be a source of shame for parents, as they affect all social classes equally and have no relation to hygiene.

Note: Human pediculosis is the clinical name for head lice.

            Louse- singular/  Lice-plural