Lice, the worst parasite in the world
One of the worst fears of
parents when they have a child, is them getting head lice –
in this article, we will outline exactly what head lice is.
First, as most parents know, head louse is a tiny, winless
parasitic insect that lives on top of your head and feeds
off of small amounts of blood from your scalp. Head lice are
very similar to fleas on dogs and just as annoying yet
treatable. Head lice is especially dangerous and a very
common problem for children ages three to twelve – and more
often than not, girls get head lice over boys.
One thing you have to understand is that head lice is not
dangerous per say, they are more annoying and can cause your
child’s scalp to be extremely itchy and even inflamed – if
not treated right away, these bites from the lice can cause
the scalp to become infected.
Some of the signs of head lice include your child constantly
scratching at their head – the itching may not start right
away, but if you see your child scratching a lot, it may be
a great idea to check their scalp for head lice. Lice can be
seen by the naked eye but having a magnifying glass
available might be a good idea so you can see the lice eggs
(called nits).
Lice eggs look like very tiny yellow, brown or tan dots just
before they hatch so if you are seeing these on your child’s
head, star t treatment right away. Nits sort of look like
dandruff but if you try to just shake them off or pick them
off, they do not move. Lice eggs usually take about one or
two weeks to hatch, so treatment to wipe them out right away
is a great idea.
Adult lice and nymphs, which are baby lice are really no
bigger than a sesame seed, so you can usually see the eggs
better than seeing a nymph or adult lice. They are usually
grayish-white or very tan, so if your child has lighter
hair, they are harder to locate. Most lice will feed off of
blood several times a day and they can usually survive up to
two days off the scalp – for instance if they fall on your
children’s shoulder, they can still hop back up to the
scalp.
As you can see, head lice is not something that you want
your child to have – although they can not spread disease,
they annoy and hurt your child.
In this article, we explained all the stages of head lice,
from the nit (egg) all the way to an adult louse.
If you're interested in
more articles about head lice, click here -
Articles.
Enjoy!
I wish you all the best on your
head lice adventure!
Best wishes,
Thomas T :)
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