Lice: what to do in children if there is suspicion of pediculosis

Hello! One sister calls me somehow. She was just in a panic. A few days later, her daughter needed to go to the doctor for a certificate, which was needed for a trip to rest in the camp.

And they just found lice on her head. It is clear that in this situation no one will give the required certificate.

It’s good that I knew a quick and reliable way to get rid of these parasites. It turned out to be effective - a happy child went to rest. Want to know what to do when lice are detected in children? Now I will describe in detail the procedure.

The child has lice. What to do to mom

Summer holidays are gradually coming to an end. Children returning from camps. Soon it's time to get ready for school. What else, besides running around the shops before the first of September, is this period curious?

Pediculosis is a fairly common disease. According to the Rospotrebnadzor, in 2014 in Russia almost 288 thousand cases of head lice were registered, or 190.59 per 100 thousand people. This is 5.8% more than in the previous year, and there is no tendency towards a decrease in the incidence.

From the moment of infection to the first signs of the disease, several weeks can pass. Therefore, do not rush to close the page. If your child does not scratch his head today, this does not mean that he is completely healthy. We will tell you how to properly examine your child and identify signs of the disease in time, as well as how to quickly and painlessly rid your child of lice.

Head louse is a small insect up to 4 mm in length. She likes warmer places and, most often, lives in the back of the head, behind the ears and in the temple area. It is there that you can see traces of bites and combs.

Nits - small transparent "beads", lice eggs. They are tightly attached to the hair closer to the root. Nits themselves are not particularly harmful, except that later new insects will appear from them.

Lice feed on human blood, piercing the scalp with their proboscis. In the place of the punctures, grayish-blue traces remain, which then begin to itch due to the enzyme that injects louse into the wounds. This enzyme is necessary for the insect to prevent blood from clotting, and causes local irritation.

If the wounds are combed tightly, a bacterial infection may join them and they will fester. Therefore, it is important to timely detect the presence of pediculosis in the child.

Lice are quite voracious, but cannot store energy in the form of fat, so they need to be fed regularly. On average 1 time in 2-3 hours. Lice are also quite temperature sensitive. The higher the temperature, the more often they need to eat.

So, at a temperature of about 35 ° C, lice can live without blood a little longer than 1 day, at 10-20 ° C - more than 7 days. If the temperature is below 12 ° C, lice become uncomfortable, they stop laying eggs, and their larvae stop developing.

The most unpleasant thing is the head louse’s ability to tolerate Borrelia recurrenti, which causes epidemic typhus. Infection occurs when an insect is crushed accidentally while combing a bite. It is then that Borrelia from crushed lice enters the blood of a person.

Typhoid fever is not common today, mainly in cases of pediculosis infection from people from a socially disadvantaged environment or living in conditions of great crowding. But the probability of its development cannot be ruled out 100%. Therefore, after getting rid of lice, it is better to show the child to the doctor.

How can I get infected?

Lice are insects without wings. They do not know how to jump and fly, but they run very well. Therefore, you can become infected with pediculosis only through direct contact. Most often, children become infected with lice during games or exchanging personal belongings - when they try on hats and caps for each other, comb their hair with other people's combs, sleep together on the same pillow, and so on.

Lice are species-specific parasites. It is impossible to get infected from animals. Human lice live and eat only on humans.

Symptoms of Pediculosis

The main symptom of pediculosis is itching in the bite area. Once again, we often recall that lice feed on the temples, behind the ears, on the back of the head and neck (if the child has long hair).

Children with pediculosis become restless, restless, constantly scratching their heads. They feel discomfort, but do not understand what it is associated with.

How to inspect a child’s head? There are two ways to check:

1. On dry hair - an efficiency of 29%;
2. On wet hair - an efficiency of 91%.

Also, the use of a frequent comb or comb allows you to better identify insects than a regular examination of the head.

If you decide to examine the baby’s wet hair, apply hair conditioner on them to make it easier to slide the comb.

• Comb the baby's hair to get rid of confusion;
• With a frequent comb or comb, drag over the head from the toe to the neck. Carry out combing in different directions;
• Check the comb after each immersion in the hair;
• Comb your entire head at least twice.

Detecting lice is quite difficult, but possible. Especially if combing is performed on a sheet of paper or a light towel without lint.

Examine the combed hair. Closer to their root you can see the nits. Nits, like a small transparent bead, hold tight to the hair. It is difficult to separate. And when crushed, it emits a characteristic crack.

Folk remedies

For a long time, they struggled with lice by any possible means and by now many folk remedies have accumulated:

Disadvantages of folk remedies:

They also require repeated use, since at one time it is impossible to destroy all insects with their help due to their low efficiency.

Well and most importantly, the child will then for a long time remember all the horrors that happened to him, and walk with a red, itchy neck and head.

Effective remedies for pediculosis

Fortunately, in addition to folk remedies, there are now many effective and safe drugs. The main modern means for the treatment of pediculosis are:

1. Malathion-based drugs;
2. Permethrin-based preparations;
3. Dimethicone-based preparations;
4. Preparations based on piperonyl butoxide.

Most of the drugs for pediculosis contain only one active substance. Because of this, they do not give 100% effect. Some products may not work with nits, while others may not work with adult lice that have developed drug resistance.

To completely get rid of lice, it is enough to apply it for only 10 minutes, and then just rinse with ordinary shampoo. This is especially important if the child is mobile or does not like manipulations with his head.

How to use a three-component preparation:

If the lesion was massive, you may need to repeat the procedure. But usually one application is enough.

Precautionary measures

When applied, a pinching or itching sensation is possible, there is nothing wrong with that. However, if your child is allergic, test the drug on a small area of ​​the skin. For example, on a pen or foot and follow the reaction for 24 hours.

Let someone else handle your child’s head.

What to do next?

After you have dealt with lice in your child, you must exclude their possible presence in your home.

Inspect everyone who lives with you for pediculosis. This must be done even if there are no symptoms. Remember that signs of infection do not appear immediately.

It is also necessary to process the mattress, blanket, pillow, outerwear, and upholstered furniture that the child used.

For things that cannot be washed at high temperatures or difficult to wash (upholstered furniture, carpets, protective helmets), there are special tools. For example, an antiparasitic aerosol can be used. It is easy for them to handle things, it does not stain the fabric and does not require dry cleaning.

• The pillow and blanket must be handled on both sides.
• Pay particular attention to the seams of outerwear, furniture, and bedding.
• Processed items can only be used a few hours after using the aerosol. They must be left in a well-ventilated area, for example, hung out on the balcony.

How to prevent infection?

To prevent re-infection or to prevent possible infection with a child, a conversation should be conducted. Tell why he will need to comply with certain measures.

If you have already carried out the procedure for dealing with lice, show the child the former "tenants" and tell us that he felt badly and scratched it because of them.

And be sure to tell that the child had pediculosis to mothers in a group or class, as well as to mothers of your child’s friends.

This is also necessary for you, because it is not known who the child was infected from. And if you do not conduct a wide examination of the children with whom he is in contact, there is a chance of re-infection.

Pediculosis treatment in children at a time

Pediculosis is a topic that causes disgust and disgust in many people, it is not customary to talk about it publicly. According to statistics, every second person in the world at least once in his life has encountered this problem.

Most of all, kindergarteners and primary school students are at risk of contracting pediculosis. Therefore, children aged 4 to 12 years should regularly check for lice and nits.

Who are we dealing with?

Lice are insects with a length of 0.4 to 4 mm that live on the scalp of a person and feed on the blood of the "owner". Lice can not fly and jump, but they quickly cling to their hair and are able to crawl "to a new owner."

Within 7-10 days, the female lays several hundred nits (eggs), which in a few weeks turn into adults. So pediculosis can usually be detected about a week after infection.

It is important for parents to know the symptoms of lice in order to take action in time. Carefully comb the child’s hair, paying special attention to his behavior and condition of the scalp: frequent scratching of the head, small bluish-gray spots on the skin, bleeding combs and, accordingly, the presence of lice and nits in the hair.

If pediculosis is detected, it is worth checking for the presence of lice for all family members.

The child is infected: the right explanation

Remember, you should not scold a child if he caught lice - this is not his fault. Reassure the child, tell him about the lice - that they are not dangerous, that they will not lose hair, and moreover no one dies. Distract the baby from worries and fears, trying not to cause him shame and embarrassment.

Thanks to the appearance of modern drugs on the shelves of pharmacies, dubious methods of combating parasites are a thing of the past. Now you can get rid of lice at a time, and the processing itself does not take much time.

It is better to buy a drug on a natural basis, such as Spray or Pediculen Ultra Lotion for Lice. All Pediculen Ultra products have been specially developed by the Research Institute of Disinfectology of Rospotrebnadzor in order to completely destroy lice and nits in one use, without causing addiction in insects.

The composition of the products includes natural anise oil, which has a calming and anti-inflammatory effect - it relieves irritation of the scalp caused by itching, and also reduces children's irritability and tearfulness. A drug in the form of a lotion (50 ml) is available, which is suitable for treating short hair, and a spray (150 ml) for hair below the shoulders.

Proper treatment for lice and nits

Treatment of hair from head lice should be carried out in a well-ventilated area with good lighting.

If the hair is long - collect it in a bun and fix it with a hairpin. After thoroughly rinse your hair with warm water, and then with shampoo or soap. Dry your hair slightly with a towel.

Using the Pediculen Ultra comb with frequent teeth, carefully comb out the dead lice and nits, each time cleaning the comb with a towel. Check the result with the Pediculen Ultra Magnifier.

Rinse with hot water items that may become a source of infection. Wash baby clothes and bedding. Remember, lice die at temperatures above 40 ° C.

Notify Parents

Unfortunately, most families facing pediculosis in a child are in no hurry to warn about the threat of other parents. Be courageous and call one of the parents, the teacher or the class teacher. Tell us how you coped with the problem, advise the tool that helped you, and tell me where you got it.

What if your child has lice?

Pediculosis is a disease caused by the presence of a parasite on the human body - lice. Lice live exclusively on the hairy part of the skin, feed on human blood.

The manifestation of lice, which should scare you away, is itching. If the baby is constantly itching, look at their hair and scalp for sure. It is better to sort the hair with your fingers and comb it every 1-2 cm. Lice concentrate behind the ears and behind the head - from this point begin control. Look for adult living creatures and their eggs - nits.

How to recognize

Lice are very small (2-3mm), usually light, beige-brown (but can change color, adapting it to the color of the hair) and quickly move along the hair. When in motion, they can be easily observed.

Eggs - are white or light yellow in color, about 1 mm in size and firmly attached to the base of the hair. Reminiscent of dandruff, but they are not easy to peel off.

These microscopic magnitude parasites like to multiply on the scalp and hair.

They multiply at a fast pace, so they are so hard to breed. When you notice them on your baby’s head, take action immediately.

How to get rid?

Step 1: Spread the baby’s head with olive oil. Thanks to this, it will be softened, and lice will be easier to comb out. After applying it, you can wrap the baby’s head with a towel for several minutes and then absorb the lice.

Step 2: wash your hair with a special preparation. In a pharmacy without a prescription, drugs for removing lice are available, usually in the form of shampoo, liquid, or foam. Buy one of them and put it on the child’s head to kill the parasites.

Step 4: Shorten Your Hair. Often combing out lice is so time-consuming that shortening hair is a salvation (especially in girls). If you know a hairdresser who is ready to devote time to you, ask her for help. After shortening the hair, you can straighten them - the heat will kill other living lice.

Step 5: Protect Family Members. Pediculosis is very easy to get infected. Especially when you still do not know about the problem, and by scratching your head the child scatters parasites throughout the house. Look at the heads of other family members and yours for possible changes.

Step 6: House Order. Take care of the order in the house. Wash your bed, towels, bedspreads and covers, clothes, plush toys - all that lice could have. Wash at a temperature of 60 degrees, and then dry and iron these things with a hot iron.

Step 8: Inform the parents of other children. Although it’s not nice to brag about pediculosis, you should inform the parents of the children your baby is playing with. Apparently their children also have lice, which must be eliminated so that the fight against parasites does not last for months.

Step 9: Don't Blame The Baby. This is not his fault. Lice attack even the most well-groomed and clean children. Explain to the baby what is being done and why it should be treated. You can try to translate the situation as a joke and make great fun out of the fight against lice.

Lice: what parents should know

Head lice are tiny insects the size of a sesame seed (2-3 mm long), usually pale gray in color, but their color can sometimes differ from the usual one.

They are oval in shape (approximately 0.8x0.3 mm), and their color varies from yellow to white. Nits are attached to the hairs with a sticky substance and therefore do not slide off them. After lice hatch from eggs, empty nits remain attached to the hair.

Lice live about 28 days. They multiply rapidly, laying up to 10 eggs per day. In 12 days, an adult develops from an egg. This cycle can be repeated every 3 weeks if lice are not controlled.

Who is usually infected with head lice?

Anyone can become infected with them, but most often pediculosis occurs in children of preschool and primary school age. At the same time, the purity of the hair and the sanitary conditions in the house do not matter.

It also does not matter where the children and family members live, play or work.

Lice crawl like insects. They cannot jump or fly.The main way lice are spread is through prolonged head-to-head contact. There is also the possibility of transmission of lice through combs, brushes, hats.

What are the symptoms?

The most common symptom of head lice is itching. Approximately 4 weeks after infection with lice, the scalp may begin to itch - usually in the back of the head or behind the ears (where it is more tender). In addition, itching can persist for several weeks after the destruction of lice.

How to check for lice? Inspect your baby’s head regularly — this is a good way to prevent lice from spreading and spreading through your baby’s head.

1. Have your baby sit in a brightly lit room.
2. Cover the table with white cloth or paper and examine the scalp for lice and nits.
3. It is difficult to find living lice, because they avoid light and move quickly.
4. Nits - small white or tan tubercles - are firmly attached closer to the hair roots. The easiest way to find them is in the hair on the back of the head or behind the ears. Inspect your hair carefully, because nits can easily be confused with dandruff, dirt particles or droplets of hairspray.
5. Wet your hair. Use a very thick comb to make it easier to comb out lice and nits. Comb the child’s hair with small strands, and after each wipe the comb with a damp cloth or paper towel.

How to fight?

Consult your pediatrician before starting any treatment for lice. The most effective way to deal with lice is to use drugs for head lice.

When treating with pediculosis drugs, the following precautions must be observed.

The method of combing lice (removing lice without drugs, combing thick hair with a thick scallop) is usually ineffective.

Never use dangerous products such as gasoline or kerosene, as well as medicines intended for animals!

What are the drugs?

Below is a list of drugs used for pediculosis. Advice: in any case, consult with your doctor before applying them.

What else to know about pediculosis treatment

You should not throw away all the things that the child wore during this period. It is enough to wash in hot water everything that the child wore or used 3 days before lice were discovered and treated: clothes, towels, hats, bedding, soft toys.

Put items that cannot be washed in a sealed plastic bag for 2 weeks.

Do not spray pesticides in the house - you risk poisoning the whole family with a dangerous chemical. Moreover, this is not necessary after treatment of the baby's scalp with preparations for lice.

If a child has lice, all family members and those who have been in close contact with him should also be checked and, if necessary, treated with lice preparations.

In some schools, children who have nits in their hair are not allowed to attend classes. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Association of School Nursing do not agree with this policy and believe that the child should not skip classes because of lice and can attend school immediately after treatment with a special tool.

Lice are not dangerous and will not lead to any serious health problems, but if they are found in a child, start treatment immediately to prevent the spread of lice.

Lice appeared - what to do?

One of the popular queries on the topic of pediculosis in search engines is “lice appeared, what to do.” Indeed, a person who has never encountered pediculosis may not know the basic rules of behavior when this disease appears in the family. We tell you what to do first if lice appear in the house.

The treatment of pediculosis at home includes not only a chemical or mechanical effect on the hair: like any other parasitic disease, pediculosis requires a very serious attitude to home hygiene. It is important to understand that in this case we are not talking about simple cleaning. They do not fight lice and nits by daily washing of floors or regular washing of linen.

If one or more family members is infected with pediculosis, it is extremely important to take all necessary measures to disinfect linen and household items in order to expedite treatment and prevent a relapse of the disease. As a result, pest control measures will help protect others from infection.

So, if an adult or a child has lice, what should I do first? Having discovered the disease, consistently and without being lazy, perform pest control. Clothing, bedding, household items with which an infected family member came in contact should be exposed to this event.

Physical pest control

Mandatory are physical pest control procedures. The simplest and most effective means of physical elimination of parasites on household items and clothing is washing at high temperatures.

If things cannot or cannot be washed at high temperature, another method of disinsection is used - freezing. This method is not effective and should only be used in situations where other methods of disinsection are extremely difficult, because parasites are extremely resistant to low temperatures and are capable of falling into suspended animation.

Processed things and household items are taken out in the cold (in the winter season) or placed in a freezer with a temperature of −14 ... −20 ° C for at least a day. It should be noted that at a temperature of −40 ... −50 ° C lice and nits die within a few hours.

Chemical pest control

If the problem has become serious, for example, the whole family is infected, or if you cannot get rid of head lice for a long time, you can resort to chemical pest control. For chemical treatment and cleaning the premises from parasites, special drugs are used - insecticides.

Among the frequently recommended by epidemiologists insecticides used against lice, the following can be distinguished:

The disadvantage of these drugs is the ability of insects to metabolize the poison in the body and "come to life" after a temporary paralytic effect, that is, the use of these drugs does not guarantee a 100% cure for pediculosis. The action of a number of insecticides is also reduced in the light.

Safe pest control

To protect against parasites during pest control at home, it is also recommended to use repellent preparations - chemical or natural compounds that repel lice and nits.

LiceGuard lice and nits spray repellent contains only natural substances that are safe for children and pregnant women. Repellent can be applied to the skin or processed with it in order to prevent infection.

Remember that all pest control measures are carried out immediately after the discovery of lice or nits, in parallel with the mechanical combing of parasites with a steel comb.

Mechanical combing is a mandatory procedure, regardless of whether you use chemicals to kill insects or not, because leaving live nits in your hair, you are likely to get a new outbreak in a couple of days, despite all the procedures processing the home.

Lice in a child - what to do?

If lice are found in the child - what should parents do, how to behave in this difficult situation, so that they can solve the problem as quickly and efficiently as possible and not harm the child physically and psychologically?

What cannot be boiled or sanitized with chemistry can be treated with hot steam using a steamer or iron with the appropriate function. As for the treatment itself, here it is better to refuse radical chemical agents, since the harm that they can cause to your child will be much more serious than pediculosis itself.

What to do, how to combine the effectiveness of actions with security? In order to remove lice from a child at home, it is necessary to choose extremely reliable and safe means for lice and nits for children.

It is best to combine thorough combing with a comb using non-toxic agents that dissolve the attachment of nits to the hair. This method is the most reliable and safe.

Electronic combs can significantly reduce the time to comb out lice and nits from hair thanks to the double-acting technology. They not only mechanically remove parasites, but also destroy lice with point impulse discharges, which are absolutely safe for humans.

Electronic combs can easily cope with the task of destroying and combing out lice and nits, even if you can not rely on your eyesight. Often mechanical combing is hampered by the so-called “eye-wash” effect, when small or moving insects of gray or brown color are difficult to distinguish in the hairline.

Electronic combs with an audible alarm and diagnostic mode give confidence in the result, regardless of your attentiveness, fatigue or visual acuity. To date, the American electric comb RobiComb Pro is considered the most common and effective comb.

In addition to all treatment and disinsection procedures, it is necessary to notify everyone with whom an adult or child has been in contact recently. After all, pediculosis is a very contagious disease, and one of your friends, relatives or colleagues can also be infected.

Take care of the health and well-being of others: by warning them of a possible infection, you thereby reduce the likelihood of reinfection of your family members after successful treatment from potential carriers of parasites.

The child has lice. What to do?

Neither the length of the hair, nor the economic and cultural level of the family, nor age, nor gender, nor proper observance of the rules of personal hygiene affect the appearance of the disease, which is called pediculosis in medicine and lice in the people. Family medicine knows well that about a fifth of all children at some point in their lives become infected with pediculosis.

Infection occurs in kindergartens - in schools, nurseries, kindergartens. The causative agent is a head louse, a blood-sucking parasite. Lice are transmitted from person to person mainly through common objects - combs, bows, clothes, toys, bedding.

Head lice carry out their entire life cycle in the human hairline, on the head. Outside of humans (without nutrition), the insect dies within 24 hours.

The female louse lives about 1.5 months and during this time lays about 200 eggs, of which new, mature parasites develop in 14-17 days. The size of the insect can be from 2 to 3.5 mm, nits (larvae) - 0.8 mm. Lice do not fly and do not jump, but move fast enough, overcoming about 30 cm in 1 minute.

So the accidental hit of a parasite on clothes, on a bed, on a toy can result in transferring it to another person. If there are several children in a family, then, as a rule, due to close contact between them, everyone becomes infected. Similarly, adult family members can become infected.

This localization is a favorite place for parasites. Itching is believed to be caused by the development of an allergic reaction to the saliva of animals during their bites. And this does not happen right away, but after a few days.

Children usually do not attach much importance to this. Adults often show parasites when combing. Often with a massive infection, lice simply fall from the head to the clothes, to the notebook, to the sink when washing, and thus the disease becomes noticeable.

If you are warned about pediculosis cases at school or in the kindergarten your child is attending, you need to carefully examine the child’s head. In good lighting, especially carefully examine the back of the head and behind the ears.

The drugs on the basis of which these medicinal products are made are toxic, so you need to carefully familiarize yourself with the method of application, time of use and method of disposal. Your presence near the child is simply necessary during this procedure, so that everything goes well.

It is very important after each bathing of the baby (daily) to apply a softening conditioner on his head, which facilitates combing and separation of nits and adult insects from the hair. After this, you need to start combing out the insects and their larvae with a special comb, which is usually sold with the drug, or you can buy it separately at the pharmacy.

You need to comb your hair over white paper, in strands, starting from the roots and removing parasites and their eggs with a thin needle from the comb after each comb through the head. For this procedure, you need to spend at least 15−20 minutes daily, after which boil the comb for 10 minutes.

Do not use pediculocides to prevent the disease. They should only be used if you find living lice or their larvae. Otherwise, there is a serious probability of the development of parasite immunity to subsequent treatment.

To find the disease, examine the child’s head or comb it with this special comb. If there is an infected child in the house or at school you have been warned of head lice, inspect the hair of all family members.

To prevent re-infection or transmission of parasites to other family members, you will have to take emergency disinfection measures:

• bed linen, towels, patient's clothes should be washed at a temperature not lower than 60. If some things cannot be washed, or washed in hot water, or boiled, fold them in plastic bags, tie them tightly and hide away - in the garage, in the barn, on wards for three weeks (the time during which adult lice from larvae can develop).
• all that is possible is combs, dolls are best boiled for at least 10 minutes and as often as possible.
• change and wash your baby’s clothes daily.
• remove all unnecessary items from the sick child’s room to avoid the possibility of infection of objects and unnecessary work for you on their processing.
• Each family member should have their own bedding, their own towels, etc.

Never use chemicals to treat children under 2 years old. In this case, the removal of insects should be manual - combing.