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September
is National Lice Prevention Month!
Courtesy
of the National Pediculosis Association
"Because it's not about lice, it's about kids"
Many attribute the fall or back-to-school as the time of year when head
lice are most prevalent. The truth of the matter is that this is merely
the time of year when kids are again congregating in groups, people are
made more aware and more screenings for lice are likely to occur as well
as reports of infestations.
Head lice represent a non-reportable disease and good incidence data is
hard to come by. On the other hand, the National Pediculosis Association
receives requests for help with head lice from people all over the world,
12 months a year, 24/7.
As sales of the pesticide
treatments continue to decline (15% in the last year), the visitors to
www.headlice.org
continue to increase, breaking new records (more than 3,000 unique visitors
a day). We believe this is an indication that better informed parents
are making safer choices and refusing to purchase potentially harmful
products or repurchase products they have found ineffective.
The NPA appreciates and
thanks School Health Corporation and the school nurses it serves around
the country for providing parents with NPA information and the LiceMeister
comb to make screening and early detection a routine event rather than
a disruption. Just as early intervention is emphasized in schools for
vision, scoliosis, and hearing, the same wellness opportunities apply
to head lice when communities are informed before outbreaks occur. Manual
methods of ending infestations with early detection go a long way not
only to resolve infestations but also to avoid unnecessary and potentially
harmful pesticide treatment exposures to children and their families.
John Smithkey, RN, BSN
says it best. "Each year brings new health issues, risks and challenges
to the school nurse. My experience has been that any opportunity to be
proactive (such as with a screening program) benefits everyone concerned
especially the kids as opposed to the alternative which is to try to manage
head lice with crisis intervention."
We invite school nurses;
school administrators and childcare providers to join the NPA's All Out
Comb Out which emphasizes the importance of helping parents send their
children to school and child care lice and nit free and ready to learn.
This September marks the 19th Annual Head Lice Prevention Campaign. Your
participation can be as simple as posting a notice in your local paper
or school website or distributing educational resources within your community.
Materials are available to download at www.headlice.org.
Joanie Austin, a school nurse in Vermont, exemplifies the impact of head
lice on children's lives. She writes: "Today I became a hero to two
of my students. I picked nits off a brother and sister so they could return
to class. It was a great opportunity to demonstrate to both of them how
very important they are."
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