Sample Letter For Parents With Child With Head Lice (Page 2 of 3) in pdf

Sample Letter For Parents With Child With Head Lice Page 2

• Combing is sometimes painful to the child or it may be impractical for

other reasons. In these cases, consider using anti-louse products.

Speak with the school nurse or your child’s doctor for advice.

Over-the-counter treatment:

• Head lice may be treated with shampoos specifically labeled for head lice.

•

Read and follow the label directions carefully and specifically. This is

very important. Parents should use caution when dealing with any

insecticide, particularly on children.

• If the package directions indicate, apply a second treatment 10 days later

to kill lice that hatch after the initial treatment.

• Pediculicides do not remove the eggs from the hair.

• You should not treat anyone who does not have live lice (or nits close to

the head) and do not use these products as a prevention method to avoid

lice.

• Combing can help further reduce the number of live lice and nits on the

hair.

Prescription medication:

• In some cases the over-the-counter products fail to eliminate live lice.

Your child’s physician may then order a prescription for treatment of head

lice.

As with any treatment product, follow the directions carefully. Ask

your physician, the school nurse or the pharmacist if you don’t fully

understand the directions.

Do not apply any insecticide or other chemical not specifically labeled for

treating head lice on people. Well-intentioned parents treating their children with

toxic or flammable substances have caused deaths and poisonings.

Alternative treatment:

• Other products such as essential oils, food oil, salts, enzymes,

mayonnaise, etc., have not been studied sufficiently to determine their

effectiveness.

• Hand-held hair dryers may kill lice and their eggs. Because it is easy to

burn the hair and the scalp, this method is not recommended.

Treatment of clothes:

• A clothes dryer set at high heat or a hot pressing iron will kill lice or their

eggs on pillowcases, sheets, nightclothes, towels and similar items your

child has been in contact with in the past 2 days.

Sample Letter For Parents With Child With Head Lice Page 2