Parents have many worries in the beginning of the school year: rushing to buy school clothes and supplies, coaxing a kindergartener to the classroom door, fretting about a teen finding friends.
And then the school calls. The child is being sent home - not for having a stomach ache, or a fever, or even for bad behavior. But for lice.
The evidence is clear. Little lice eggs known as nits have been spotted among the freshly washed locks of the back-to-school haircut.
It is hard to suppress a shudder.
Despite the desire to fumigate the house or cleanse everything with bleach, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website states categorically that 'personal hygiene or cleanliness in the home or school has nothing to do with getting head lice.'
In fact, lice are often attracted to clean hair because it is easier to cling to the hair shaft.
Of the three types of louse - head, body, and pubic - only the body louse carries disease.
Hair-to-hair contact with an infected person is the primary method for contracting head lice. In fact, some scientists theorize that the human head louse made its first appearance when the chimpanzee and primitive man parted company 5.5 million years ago. The louse made one small crawl - it cannot fly or jump - to mankind.
They have been with people ever since.
Nits have been found on the hair shafts of Egyptian mummies. Lice are mentioned in the Bible as the third of the 10 plagues brought down upon the pharaoh in Egypt.
And they flourish in the schools. According to the CDC, on a yearly basis, millions of lice infestations will occur among children ages 3 to 11.
In the United States, girls will have head lice more often than boys. Studies have also found that lice infestations occur less frequently among African-American children.
Experts agree that all children should avoid head-to-head contact, particularly during playground and sports activities when this type of contact is more likely.
Risa Barash, owner of Fairy Tales Hair Care in New Jersey, which offers a line of natural lice prevention and treatment products, also recommends that children be taught to share neither hair accessories nor hats - '(n)or even a sleep mat.'
'And kids should be careful where they keep their coats,' she said. 'Lice can walk and like to find nice warm spots.'
However, the CDC states that this form of head lice transmission is much less common.
Some schools in Marion County perform monthly or even weekly head checks, and parents can do the same. Barash suggests a weekly check, especially in 'hot spots': behind the ears, the back of the neck, and the part line.
'Using a fine-tooth comb, comb through hair section by section and make sure you're not seeing anything,' she said.
Nits can be small white or yellow brown ovals; the adult parasites are more difficult to observe without using a magnifying glass.
The American Academy of Pediatrics lists itchy scalp as the most common symptom of head lice.
Lice treatment is available by prescription or over the counter. Barash's product, Lice Goodbye, eliminates eggs and lice without harsh chemicals.
The CDC also suggests washing and drying clothing, sheets and towels used up to two days before treatment on high heat settings or sealing items in a plastic bag and storing them for at least two weeks.
Marion County schools have a 'No-Nit' policy, which means that parents are responsible for removing all nits before the child may return to school. According to Kevin Christian, public relations and communications officer of Marion County Schools, this policy has been in place for years.
Marion County uses the 1-inch rule: 'No nits can be visible within 1 inch from the scalp,' Christian said. Students are entitled to one excused day per occurrence.
Concerns about student absenteeism has led some school districts to follow CDC and American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations that children be not kept from school, even if they have nits, because the nits are not a threat to spread if treatment is underway.
Experts offer tips to fight back-to-school pest: head lice
<p>Parents have many worries in the beginning of the school year: rushing to buy school clothes and supplies, coaxing a kindergartener to the classroom door, fretting about a teen finding friends.</p><p>And then the school calls. The child is being sent home - not for having a stomach ache, or a fever, or even for bad behavior. But for lice.</p><p>The evidence is clear. Little lice eggs known as nits have been spotted among the freshly washed locks of the back-to-school haircut.</p><p>It is hard to suppress a shudder.</p><p>Despite the desire to fumigate the house or cleanse everything with bleach, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website states categorically that 'personal hygiene or cleanliness in the home or school has nothing to do with getting head lice.'</p><p>In fact, lice are often attracted to clean hair because it is easier to cling to the hair shaft.</p><p>Of the three types of louse - head, body, and pubic - only the body louse carries disease.</p><p>Hair-to-hair contact with an infected person is the primary method for contracting head lice. In fact, some scientists theorize that the human head louse made its first appearance when the chimpanzee and primitive man parted company 5.5 million years ago. The louse made one small crawl - it cannot fly or jump - to mankind.</p><p>They have been with people ever since.</p><p>Nits have been found on the hair shafts of Egyptian mummies. Lice are mentioned in the Bible as the third of the 10 plagues brought down upon the pharaoh in Egypt.</p><p>And they flourish in the schools. According to the CDC, on a yearly basis, millions of lice infestations will occur among children ages 3 to 11.</p><p>In the United States, girls will have head lice more often than boys. Studies have also found that lice infestations occur less frequently among African-American children.</p><p>Experts agree that all children should avoid head-to-head contact, particularly during playground and sports activities when this type of contact is more likely.</p><p>Risa Barash, owner of Fairy Tales Hair Care in New Jersey, which offers a line of natural lice prevention and treatment products, also recommends that children be taught to share neither hair accessories nor hats - '(n)or even a sleep mat.'</p><p>'And kids should be careful where they keep their coats,' she said. 'Lice can walk and like to find nice warm spots.'</p><p>However, the CDC states that this form of head lice transmission is much less common.</p><p>Some schools in Marion County perform monthly or even weekly head checks, and parents can do the same. Barash suggests a weekly check, especially in 'hot spots': behind the ears, the back of the neck, and the part line.</p><p>'Using a fine-tooth comb, comb through hair section by section and make sure you're not seeing anything,' she said.</p><p>Nits can be small white or yellow brown ovals; the adult parasites are more difficult to observe without using a magnifying glass.</p><p>The American Academy of Pediatrics lists itchy scalp as the most common symptom of head lice.</p><p>Lice treatment is available by prescription or over the counter. Barash's product, Lice Goodbye, eliminates eggs and lice without harsh chemicals.</p><p>The CDC also suggests washing and drying clothing, sheets and towels used up to two days before treatment on high heat settings or sealing items in a plastic bag and storing them for at least two weeks.</p><p>Marion County schools have a 'No-Nit' policy, which means that parents are responsible for removing all nits before the child may return to school. According to Kevin Christian, public relations and communications officer of Marion County Schools, this policy has been in place for years.</p><p>Marion County uses the 1-inch rule: 'No nits can be visible within 1 inch from the scalp,' Christian said. Students are entitled to one excused day per occurrence.</p><p>Concerns about student absenteeism has led some school districts to follow CDC and American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations that children be not kept from school, even if they have nits, because the nits are not a threat to spread if treatment is underway.</p>
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