Preventing Re-infestation of Head Lice

Head lice are spread very
easily from one person to another. If one person in a
household gets infested, it is highly likely that all
members of the household will also become infested. In
addition, close friends, and extended family members may
also catch lice, depending on how much contact there is with
the infested person. For this reason, re-infestation can be
a real problem, and occurs frequently, but there are some
precautionary measures you can take to help avoid this.
If you should discover that someone in your family has head
lice, it is imperative that the person be treated for the
infestation as soon as possible. The longer you wait, the
more miserable the person will get, and the more chance that
the head lice will spread to others.
If one person in the family has head lice, check all members
of the household for signs of infestation, and treat all
people who appear to have nits or lice.
Inform those who have had contact with the infested person
that they should examine their head for signs of head lice.
It may also be a good idea to inform the school nurse so
that a note can be sent home for members of the class to
check for lice.
After treatment, completely clean the house, vacuuming all
surfaces that can be vacuumed, including furniture. You will
also want to wash all linens, towels, coats, scarves, etc.
Whatever can’t be laundered, should be placed in a plastic
bag, and sealed for at least two weeks; this includes
stuffed animals, pillows, and all items needing dry
cleaning.
For the next few weeks it will be necessary to examine
everyone’s hair for signs of re-infestation. If you missed
some nits, or the treatment did not kill all the head lice,
you will quickly see signs of a returning infestation.
Even if you do not see any evidence of nits or lice, it may
be a good idea to use a metal nit removal comb to run
through the hair every night. This will help to ensure that
you catch any nits that you may have missed during the
initial combing.
In the case that there is a re-infestation of head lice, it
is important to remember that all the above steps must again
be taken. This procedure will continue until the head
remains clear for at least one month after treatment.
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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