The ectoparasite is coming to drink your blood...
Sounds rather drastic, however it is a common occurrence in many households around the world, including mine. These small vampires are the scurge of parents everywhere, frustrating and disgusting at the same time, proving immensely difficult to get rid of.
Head lice. Horrible things. We have been fighting this problem on and off for seven years now. The most frustrating aspect is that the child keeps picking them up again from friends or classmates.
As soon as I hear the word lice, my scalp gets really, really itchy. The power of suggestion is amazing!
Why are they so hard to get rid of? They have a life cycle which makes particular timing of the treatments necessary, otherwise the lice will flourish again. The egg takes 7-10 days to hatch, the lice takes 10 days to reach maturity and then lives for up to another 20, laying numerous eggs. The problem is that the treatments don't necessarily get rid of the eggs which are tricky to remove as they are "glued" on. So the treatment only kills (if done thoroughly) the live nits. The treatment must be done on a regular basis of approximately 3 lots every 7 days to ensure that all are dead and have not had a chance to re-populate the head. It all adds up to very careful timing or reinfection.
One summer we had been at our summer campsite for no longer than 24 hours when we discovered that our boy child was prolifically populated with creatures. As we had no supermarket nearby, no treatment anywhere, we shaved off all his hair, problem solved! He has never had them again.
Due to the particular timing, I suspect that many caregivers forget or neglect to give the follow up treatments in time, leaving the child with a few that will repopulate.
Another problem can be reinfection by another child. Regular contact with a child that is not treated sufficiently will ensure repopulation. It is an ongoing hazard.
I will be very happy when my youngest gets past this point in child development. Off to shampoo again!
I heard a theory that the old 'hundred strokes a day' tradition of hair brushing is a nit-preventing strategy. Breaks their little legs off. My friend has a daughter who brushes her hair fastidiously and one who never will, and only the non-brusher picks them up from school. *scratch scratch*
ReplyDeleteMy niece caught them at a campground this summer too!! What's with those places? My entire family did the de-nit treatment which was traumatic in itself, ew. Ew ew ew.
ReplyDeleteOh Meg that sounds an awful annoying plague on your kids and you. I'm fortunate to not have had my boys bring home headlice as a present - and they better not. If they do, it'll be a head shave quick smart and me having a chill out glass of wine.
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