L.A. Unified School District Has Secret Weapon in War Against Head Lice
- Innovative Head Lice Treatment is Available to Parents -

May 2006: The Los Angeles Unified School District has instituted a new policy regarding head lice. Instead of sending any child with visible nits home, the District now allows children to stay in school once they've been treated. Some parents are concerned - but they don't know that most district nurses are armed with an extremely effective weapon in the war on head lice. It's a handheld lice-killing and nit-removing medical device called MagiComb^TM. The comb is available on a loan-out basis to the parents of children in the LAUSD.

The MagiComb is a battery operated lice comb that kills lice and removes nits. Unlike other mechanical combs, which either painfully pull the hair or literally electrocute lice, Magi Comb's two sets of stainless steel teeth vibrate in opposite directions at sub-sonic speeds, destroying live lice and removing eggs. Lice and nit removal feels like a pleasant scalp massage - and doesn't pull the hair or scratch the head. Using the comb on a weekly basis can actually prevent lice infestation and outbreaks.

The LAUSD has over seven hundred of the combs in nurse's offices throughout the district.

"This really is the first major breakthrough we've seen in the war we're waging against head lice and the loss of education days, which can result from chronic infestations," said Suzanne Rue, Communicable Disease Control Nurse for the Los Angeles Unified School District. "The combs have been very helpful in the removal of nits. We keep them on hand and often loan them out to parents to help them control lice and remove nits."

Parents who borrow the comb can view an instructional video at www.magicomb.com.

The MagiComb is used by several hundred school districts around the nation. At Dorie Miller Elementary school in San Antonio, Texas, school nurse Phyllis Johnson, REN, BSN, says that MagiComb is an important tool in her lice fighting arsenal.

"The MagiComb is the best mechanical lice comb available. It does an excellent job of killing lice and removing nits. This tool helps us keep kids in school because we can deal with the problem in a day instead of over several days which is the case with most shampoo type treatments," said Johnson.

According to a survey of over 1,000 school nurses conducted by Quantum Health, children miss an average of four to five school days due to chronic infestations of head lice. It has become one of the leading causes of school absences which are also missed education days. Studies have shown that some strains of lice have become resistant to over-the-counter and prescription chemical treatments making tools such as the MagiComb important alternatives in fighting lice.

The change in the Los Angeles Unified School District's head lice policy now allows students who've been treated for head lice to return to class even if they still have a few nits (lice eggs) in their hair. But the policy has an upside. Children will not miss important education days.

To view a video showing how MagiComb works, go to www.magicomb.com. To read more about head lice, how to screen for lice, PTA and school nurse programs for lice control, go to www.licesolutions.com.