Headlice & Worms

Real facts & mistaken advice about head lice

• The eggs of head lice usually take 7 to 10 days to hatch (recorded range 5 to 11 days). Live eggs and head lice are not easily spotted on the head, therefore the school nurse cannot solve the head louse problem for schools and parents
• Combing dry or damp hair with a fine-tooth comb is not a reliable way to detect lice, and especially deceptive in short, straight hair, where you would think it would be easy
• Metal combs are not suitable for louse detection because these combs are primarily nit combs. Lice caught between the tightly spaced teeth remain unnoticed against the metal and can be combed back into the hair unharmed at subsequent strokes
• There are no studies proving that wet head lice grasp hairs more tightly, thus hampering their removal with a fine-tooth comb
• It is not scientifically proven that head to head contact has to be prolonged to catch lice - close contact is enough
• Head lice are a community problem About 20% of cases are amongst people over 16 or under 4 years old