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Q&A on lice Today's questions are answered by Dr. Terri Meinking, research assistant professor of dermatology at the University of Miami School of Medicine and one of the top head-lice researchers in the country. Q. Is there a season for head lice? A. Not really. In Florida, it's a year-round problem. The so-called season is September and January, which correlates to the school year. Actually, kids have had lice all summer but they're so busy playing that it's not until they go back to school and they're sitting in class that they realize their scalps itch. The same thing happens in January after kids have been on holiday break. Q. What are some of the misconceptions about head lice? A. Contrary to myth, lice can't be transmitted to or from a pet. They don't live long away from the host and they prefer not to leave the host. Body lice have given all lice a bad name. Body lice are associated with poor hygiene or crowding together because of famine or war. They can carry bacteria; head lice do not. Head lice like clean, shiny, healthy hair. They get into the scalp hair and feed only on human blood. Q. Why do kids get head lice? A. The reason you see it more in children between ages 3 and 11 and more in girls than boys is because kids have close contact, share nap time on the floor and girls share brushes and barrettes and braid each other's hair. Q. What kind of creature is a louse? A. It's an insect, has six legs and no wings. It doesn't hop like a flea. It doesn't fly but it can crawl pretty fast. They don't like light. They're hard to find on the scalp because the minute you put light on them, they take off and are camouflaged in hair. The easy way to look for them is to find the eggs, which measure about .8 of a millimeter. The eggs are attached with special glue to the hair. Once they're cemented to the hair, they are going to be there unless they're pulled out with a fingernail or a fine comb, or the hair is cut. Q. How do you get rid of lice? A. Head lice in South Florida have become resistant to the active ingredient in the products Rid and Nix. And people should never use Lindane, the prescription shampoo banned in California after the toxic chemical was found in drinking water in Los Angeles. A prescription called Ovide that has .5 percent malathion works in 10 minutes, killing the lice and eggs. Patty Shillington |
