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Disclaimer:
The Region of Peel School Health Reference Guide is a supplementary resource to relevant Peel and Dufferin-Peel school board policies. Always refer to school board policy first if you have questions or concerns.

About Head Lice

What are head lice? | How head lice are spread | Symptoms | Treatment | Prevention

Treating Head Lice

Chemical treatment cautions

Head lice are treated with a specially medicated shampoo or creme rinse that’s available at pharmacies.

Parents and guardians should always check with a physician or pharmacist if the chemical treatment will be used:

• On a child under the age of 2.
• On a woman who is pregnant or breastfeeding.
• By a woman who is pregnant or breastfeeding.

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When to treat

Parents and guardians should treat the child only if they actually see live lice on the hair shafts and scalp.

If you see only nits, recommend that parents or guardians:

• Delay treatment
  While nits might signal a live infestation, they don’t necessarily mean that live head lice are present. The nits may have already hatched, could be too far away from the warmth of the scalp to hatch or may be confused with dandruff, dust, etc.
• Check the child’s head every two days over a period of 10 days
  Parents should only treat if they find live lice during this time.
• Parents can choose to remove the nits by:
  1. Grasping the firmly glued nit between a finger and thumb then pulling it down the hair shaft or
  2. Using a specially designed lice comb.

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Post-treatment guidelines

After the first treatment parents should:

• Check the child’s head to make sure the treatment was successful. It has been successful if no live lice are found.
• Speak with a pharmacist about another chemical treatment if they still find live lice.
• Continue to check the child’s head every day for 10 days.
• Do a second treatment 7 to 10 days after the first successful treatment. (Chemical treatments don’t completely kill nits. The second treatment will kill lice that hatch after the first treatment.)

After the second treatment parents should:

• Visually inspect the child’s head to make sure the treatment was successful.
• Parents can remove the nits if they choose, though this is optional as nits do not spread from head-to-head.
• Inspect the child’s head every two days for 10 consecutive days.
• After 10 days of inspecting without detecting more live head lice, return to checking the child’s head once a week for nits and lice.

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Preventing Head Lice

Knowledge is one of the most important steps to both prevention and treatment.

Parents and school staff both play key roles in preventing head lice.

Prevent head lice infestations in your school by:

1. Enclosing preventive messages in your school newsletters at the beginning of the school year as well as before and after scheduled school holidays such as Christmas and March Break.
2. Encouraging parents to inspect their child’s head and scalp once a week for nits and live head lice.
3. Asking your students to avoid sharing personal items that come in close contact with the scalp such as combs, hats, scarves, helmets and earphones.
4. Asking your students to keep their hats and scarves in their coat sleeves or pockets.
5. Having your students hang their coats on separate hooks.
6. Encouraging your students with long hair to tie it back in a ponytail or braid.
7. Promptly notifying families, day-care centres, after-school programs and any other places where children gather when an active head lice infestation occurs.