Head Lice Guidelines

We have received a lot of correspondence from parents about the recurring Head Lice problem in the school. While the problem is countrywide and not a localised issue and as such not something that JPC can tackle we said we would put together some helpful hints.

1. Regularly checking your child’s hair will mean you can spot head lice at the very first sign and treat them effectively.

2. Treat head lice as soon as you see a live one. Check all of the family and treat anyone who has lice. And remember, if you choose to use a medicated product, only use it when you see live head lice. Do not use a medicated product as a preventative method, otherwise head lice can build up a resistance. Just using the medicated product alone is not enough. You must comb through the hair with a special purpose fine tooth comb until comb remains clear.

3. Always follow up the treatment method as directed by the product you’re using. Even with treatments that claim to kill head lice after one application, the Department of Health recommends checking for lice again after three to five days, and again 10 to 12 days after using the treatment. This is because not all the eggs may be killed by the first application. Regularly combing through your child’s hair and checking will help prevent a re-infestation.

4. Head lice are extremely common – it’s nothing to be embarrassed about. Do tell your child’s teacher so that they can alert other parents and ask to get their children treated as soon as possible. If you don’t, you run the risk of your now lice-free child being re-infected by someone they gave the lice to. Your child’s name will remain anonymous.

5. If you receive a letter from your child’s teacher please check your child’s hair immediately and treat if necessary.

6. Sterilise all combs, brushes etc and wash pillowcases, sheets etc on a hot wash.

If we all follow these simple steps we can reduce the amount of outbreaks occurring.