About Head Lice
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Head Lice Signs and Symptoms
Head lice are nothing to get embarrassed about (although a lot of people do!) Not many children will go through their school years without at least one infection, and then usually pass it onto the rest of their family.
An infestation of Head lice is not an indication that a child is dirty - or, clean for that matter, head lice are not fussy either way!
The best way to deal with them is by regularly checking the whole family, especially children's heads, thoroughly going through each head of hair with a fine tooth 'nit' detector comb and if necessary, treat everybody who is infected.
The responsibility for lice checking and control/treatment rests with the parent/guardian
The easiest way to check for lice is by wet combing. See our Checking For Head Lice article for full details
Look for the following signs:
- A rash on the scalp.
- Lice droppings (a black powder, like fine pepper) may be seen on pillowcases.
- An itchy head. This is not always the first sign. Lice will usually have been on the scalp for three or four months before the head starts to itch, or they may not cause itching at all.
- You may also spot eggs or the lice themselves.