What is head lice?

The head louse is a tiny, wingless insect that lives in human hairs and feeds on very small amounts of blood drawn from the scalp. Although they may sound kind of disgusting, lice appear often on young children in common settings, such as school. Lice aren’t dangerous and they don’t spread disease, but they are contagious and can be very annoying. Their bites may cause the scalp to become itchy and inflamed, and scratching may lead to skin irritation. They can be hard to get rid of, and take lots of work to make them go away and stay away. Usually, using special medicated shampoos and thoroughly cleaning sheets, carpets, clothing, and personal products, like combs and brushes, gets rid of the pesky insects. Kids should try to avoid head-to-head contact at school (both in classrooms and on the playground) and while playing at home with other children. They also shouldn’t share combs, brushes, hats, scarves, bandanas, ribbons, barrettes, towels, helmets, or other personal care items with anyone else, whether they may have lice or not.