Winter Break Update on Head Lice
Date: December 21, 2007
To: Parent/Guardians of Barton Students
From: Karen Ward, RN, School Nurse
Re: Head Lice
Dear Parents,
Thanks to your diligence at home, the number of students with head lice has remained low. Keep it up! Paradoxically, I have found that a break from school, rather than halting the spread, often exacerbates it, instead. So please, stay with your weekly routine of checking.
Once we return from break, if you discover head lice on your child, it is imperative that you notify Jennie Smith, the health assistant. You can leave a message on the attendance line at 612-668-3588, or talk directly to Jennie by calling the main office at 612-668-3580 and asking for the health office. We need to be able to notify other families to be on lookout.
Remember, the key to controlling head lice in school is continuous checking of all students at home. All students should have their heads checked very carefully at home every week. If nits are found, the hair should be thoroughly combed with a metal nit comb. The combing should be done daily until all the nits are gone. If live lice are found, a lice treatment should be used followed by daily combing with the nit comb until all nits and lice are gone, or for a minimum of 2 weeks. Once all nits and lice appear to be gone, weekly checks, or even weekly combing with the nit comb would be prudent. If live lice are found, the student must stay home until he or she has been treated and the hair has been thoroughly combed. Students who have been treated will be rechecked the next day at school by the health assistant or school nurse. If live lice are still found, the student will need to go back home for more combing. All students with live lice should be retreated a 2nd time 7 to 10 days after the first treatment. This is because lice treatments do not always kill 100% of live lice and viable nits. Manual removal must also be done following the treatment. If the nits are not removed, they will hatch and there will be a new infestation.
Check out the links to resources recommended by Hennepin County Epidemiology.
