h e a d l i c e a n d n i t s a guidefor school communities（h l e d i c e n d n i t s guidefor学校社区）.doc

HEADLICE AND NITS: A Guide for School Communities. Introduction Headlice are not new. Headlice and the eggs (nits) have been with us for centuries. Egyptian mummies over 3000 years old have been found with the remains of headlice. It is only recently that the western world has been relatively free of headlice. No one to date has found a sure-fire way of totally eradicating headlice in a community. There may be ‘miracle cures’ offered but few live up to the claims. Headlice are a common problem throughout the world. Schools do not give people headlice; people bring headlice to schools. Headlice are also brought to churches, supermarkets, sports fields and homes by people. A population is likely to host headlice most of the time. Infestation levels fluctuate for no apparent reason and sometimes headlice appear to be epidemic while at other times they appear to be absent. Controlling headlice requires people in a community as a whole to act. Myths Headlice can jump or swim from person to person. NO! Headlice have legs designed for climbing so need to be able to crawl from person to person in close proximity. Headlice cannot swim. Only dirty people have headlice. NO! Headlice feed on blood, not dirt. Anyone can host headlice. People with dark-coloured hair get headlice more than other people. NO! It is easier to see the yellow-white nits in dark hair so darkhaired people are possibly able to manage the problem more easily. People with light-coloured hair may find it is easier to manage the brown headlice. Headlice like hosts with hair of any colour. Headlice prefer certain blood types. NO! Headlice like to feed on any blood. Children get headlice from classroom carpets or animals. NO! Headlice only live on human heads. Schools with policies on headlice don’t have children with headlice. NO! A policy is not a magic protection but a well-thought-out policy does help a school manage the problem. However, a policy no one follows is no help at a