Appendix 316

HEAD LICE COUNSELLING GUIDELINES
1. Head lice do not spread any diseases but do cause emotional distress. They affect anyone, regardless of personal cleanliness. Children are affected more than adults because of the amount of time spent in close conditions. 2. Lice require warmth and human blood to survive. Transmission is person-to-person, spread by direct contact. Sharing of hats, coats, etc., may play a role in transmission. 3. When a family member has lice, all members are to be checked. Treating all family members with lice at the same time prevents the spread of lice from untreated to treated members. 4. Following the chosen lice product recommendations is important. Hair is to be clean before treatment, as gels or conditioners may coat hair and prevent absorption of the lice product. The product must be applied to wet or dry hair as specified and left on for the recommended amount of time. Be sure to use the complete bottle for each treatment. Using too little or not leaving it on for the correct amount of time may mean the treatment won’t work (see chart). 5. No current lice product is one hundred percent (100%) effective. Some lice or nits may survive. All products recommend a second treatment in seven (7) to ten (10) days to kill any lice that hatched from nits that survived the first treatment. 6. If lice are found twenty-four (24) to forty-eight (48) hours after treatment, a heavy infestation or resistance may be present. Retreat immediately with a different product, followed by a second treatment with that product in seven (7) to ten (10) days. 7. Removal of nits is VERY IMPORTANT. This prevents confusion about whether the nits were present previously or are from a new infestation. It also prevents self-re-infestation caused by survival and hatching of nits after treatment. Others that see nits also assume that the infestation is active. 8. To remove nits, do hair in sections. Fasten hair not being worked on out of the way. Use good light and nit comb or fingernails. Start at the scalp and go to the end of the hair. Clean and comb by dipping in water or with a tissue after each pass through the hair. Go through the same section of hair and look again. If a nit comb doesn’t work, use fingernails. 9. Check the person every day for two weeks and then weekly. Finding one or two nits the next day could be missed nits. If many are discovered, there may still be live lice. Repeat step 8. Do not confuse the nits with hair debris (dandruff, hair casts). 10. Wash bedding and clothing used in the last forty-eight (48) hours in hot water and/or dry on a hot setting. Combs and brushes can be soaked in hot water for ten (10) minutes, or wash with the lice product. Items that can’t be washed can also be vacuumed, then put in a plastic bag and frozen (forty-eight (48) hours) or stored away (ten (10) days). Using lice sprays is not recommended. 11. Little information on product resistance is available. At present, not following treatment recommendations, not removing nits or re-infestation from an untreated contact seem more likely reasons for lice reappearance than product resistance. 12. Use of natural or homemade remedies (vaseline, tea tree oil) is not advised. Directions on these methods also stress nit picking after the treatment. Only products that have been tested and licensed for sale as a lice product are recommended. 13. Informing schools, day cares, groups (sports team, Cubs/Guides) and close friends is important. Some people will have no symptoms and may be spreading lice. 14. Weekly parental checks are strongly recommended. Lice products are not to be used as a pre- treatment. No treatment will prevent catching lice. Product Name
Active Ingredient
Formulation
Method of use
- Do not apply any conditioner. - Apply sufficient amount of product to - Leave on for 10 minutes. - Rinse off with water. - Re-treatment after 7-10 days. Shampoo - Apply complete bottle to dry hair. - Add water a little at a time to form a - Rinse thoroughly. - Repeat in 7-10 days. - Allow to remain on area for 10 minutes. - Add small quantities of water, working - Rinse thoroughly. - Repeat in 7-10 days. Section 85, 87, 108, 109, 175, 188, 190, 231 Education Act

Source: http://www.christtheteacher.ca/files/Administration/Administrative%20Procedures/300/316.1_Head_Lice-Counselling_Guidelines.pdf