Parasites & Lice

Head lice can spread extremely quickly, especially in children’s group settings likes schools and nurseries.

They aren’t able to fly or jump from person to person, but they can crawl and cling onto hair through head-to-head contact and sharing clothing, bed linen and hairbrushes.

You can prevent the spread of your child’s head lice by making sure they avoid head-to-head contact with other children and by tying long hair back into a bun or braid.

Head lice are tiny wingless insects, up to 3mm long, and nits are their eggs or empty egg cases.

They live among human hairs and feed on blood from the scalp, and while they are harmless, they can be very irritating.

The symptoms include visible white or grey-brown marks in the hair, itchiness or a tickling feeling, and small red bumps or sores from scratching.

Head lice and nits are very common amongst young children and they can cause unpleasant itchiness.

To treat head lice, start by washing your hair with regular shampoo and applying lots of conditioner, then comb the whole head of hair while it’s wet with a detection comb.

If that doesn’t work after a couple of weeks, your pharmacist may recommend a medicated lotion or spray to kill the headlice within a day.

If you or your child have head lice, one of the first symptoms you’ll notice is itching.

Head lice need human blood to survive, so they bite down on your scalp several times a day.

These bites won’t hurt but they will make you feel itchy and uncomfortable.

You might also be able to feel the lice moving around on your scalp, and in some extreme cases, you might even be able to see them moving!

If you’re feeling the itch, try combing your hair with a nit comb and see what comes out, if you spot a louse or some nits then you’ll know you’ve got an infestation on your hands.

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