It has been brought to our attention over the past week that a few students in Primary have been treated for head lice. To prevent lice we recommend that you check your child’s hair on a regular basis, tie back long hair and encourage your child to bring their own hat to school and avoid sharing sun hats.
Head lice is a common school-acquired problem. Head lice prefer clean, healthy heads and the presence of head lice is not a reflection of poor hygiene.
To be effective with any of the available preparations it is important to:
- Pay special attention to instructions regarding how long the medication should be left on the hair.
- Check the expiry date.
- Comb your child’s hair thoroughly with a special fine toothed comb (nitcomb) or remove eggs manually.
- Wash your child’s bedding, hat, towel and any clothing that has had direct contact with your child’s hair.
- Clean used hair brushes and combs with boiling water.
- Re-check your child’s hair every three days to confirm the absence of lice.
It is important that children are not sent to school if infested or if treatment has not been completed. We are sure that you will understand that if we confirm your child has head lice we would expect them to be collected from school and receive treatment prior to recommencing classes.
Emily Grant & Sarah Walker
Health Professionals