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Chemical Head Lice Products
 Pillow cases of persons known to be infested should be washed daily on hot cycle or put in the clothes dryer for 15 minutes  Pyrethrins Eg Amcal Head Lice Foam, Lyban Foam  Treat all household members whose head lice have been detected.  Synthetic Pyrethroids (bioalletrhin, permethrin) eg Paralice,  Keep hair short, particularly during an outbreak. It is easier to detect and treat head lice in short hair.  Organophosphates eg Exolice Medicate Foam, Lice Rid  Notify your school so that others can be alerted to the problem  Combinations of Herbal and Essential Oils eg Quit Nits Natural and can check for head lice and arrange treatment if necessary.

Treatment Outcomes
It is essential to check the effectiveness of every treatment after a product has been on the hair for the recommended amount of time and  Comb the hair with a fine tooth head lice comb, wiping the comb  Repeat until whole head is combed and little treatment  After 5 minutes examine the tissues and assess the lice as dead (no movement), inactive (louse is stationary but moving legs or antennae), or active (louse moving).  If the product is effective, all lice should be dead.
What to do if the product doesn’t work
If the product is not effective, ie head lice are not dead at the end of exposure time, you can switch to the non-chemical method while waiting 7-10 days before re-treating with a different active ingredient. Continue checking the effectiveness of treatment products until an effective product if found, or use the non-chemical method. Prevention
While there is no need to vacuum, wash or treat with insecticide any furniture, clothing, bedding (except pillowcases), toys, carpets or hats, the following actions can be taken to help to prevent infestation/re- Fact sheets on this and other topics can be found at Avoid head to head contact with other persons  Keep long hair tied back or in plaits, especially at school.  Do not share brushes, combs or pillows  Wash combs and hire brushes after each use (600C for 30 seconds) What are they?
Transmission
Treatment
Head Lice (Pediculus capitis) are small, wingless, egg laying insects  Head lice do not fly or jump.
found on the human head. They grow to about 3.5mm (the size of a  They are spread mainly by direct head to head contact.
Non-insecticidal treatment using the conditioner and
sesame seed or pin head). Head lice live on the hair and feed by They have strong claws and move by swinging from hair to hair. combing technique.
sucking blood from the scalp. They are pale grey in colour before  This can happen when people play, cuddle or work closely feeding and reddish brown after feeding.  This is the same as detection using conditioner and combing (as  A few head lice have been found on combs, hairbrushes and detailed above) except continue combing with the head lice comb Live eggs (sometimes called nits) are glued to the hair shaft within
pillow cases. However, transmission from these items
until all the conditioner is gone. The conditioner blocks the a distance of 1.5cm from the scalp. They hatch in 7-10 days as young can only occur when the item is used within the 24
louse’s breathing pores and stuns the louse. This, together with lice (nymphs). It takes up to ten days to become mature lice and hour period following use by a person with head lice.
the slippery effect of the conditioner, makes it easy to begin laying eggs. Adults are larger than nymphs and a mature female  Head lice can survive only up to a day away from the human  Repeat this method every second day to remove the young  Head lice must feed on human blood every six hours to replenish nymphs as they hatch. Continue until no live lice are found for their water supply or they will die of dehydration. The longer they are away from a human host, the weaker they become and the less likely they are to infest the next person. This treatment is just as effective as insecticidal or other chemical  Head lice do not live or breed on animals, bedding,
treatments but generally requires longer treatment times. However, it furniture, carpets, clothes or soft toys.
maybe preferred as a cheaper alternative to insecticidal or other Detection of Head Lice
The lifecycle
The most effective way to detect head lice is by using the hair
Treatment with synthetic or natural insecticides or other
of a head
conditioner and combing method. You will need white coloured
chemicals.
louse
hair conditioner, an ordinary comb, a fine tooth head lice comb and  There are four groups of treatment agents available in different The lifespan is
about 5 weeks
forms (ie shampoo, mousse and lotion) which can be obtained Apply sufficient white conditioner to dry hair to cover the scalp  All preparations must be applied strictly according to the manufacturer’s instructions. None of them should be used on Use an ordinary comb to detangle hair and evenly distribute the conditioner. Divide the hair into four sections. children under two years of age, except on medical advice.  After each stroke, wipe the comb onto a white tissue, checking  No chemical treatment kills all the eggs. A second treatment should be applied 7-10 days after the initial treatment to kill the nymphs that have hatched from the eggs remaining from the first Put all tissues in a plastic bag, tie the top and put the bag in a Symptoms
 Do not apply the treatment more than once per week as more Detection of adult lice or nymphs on the scalp is the best way to frequent applications could lead to scalp problems and have little determine if head lice are present. While most people with head lice All members of the family/household should be checked
will not develop an itch, a smaller number of people develop an itch once per week using this method as long as there are
 If lice are still found after three weeks of chemical applications, due to an allergic reaction to the saliva of the louse. Scratching can head lice in the household.
switch to the non-insecticidal method until no lice are found. give rise to secondary bacterial infections on the scalp. Swelling of  Eggs are the most difficult stage to kill. The most effective way lymph nodes (adenopathy) in the neck can occur in some people due to remove eggs is to actually pull them off the hair using your

Source: http://www.kalbarss.eq.edu.au/documents/Head%20Lice%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf