Tulsa World: Lice get harder to pick

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Lice get harder to pick
Experts say head lice are becoming more resistant to over-the-counter treatments.

Over-the-counter lice medication is available at local pharmacies such as Freeland Brown, 4112 S. Peoria Ave. Some lice might be becoming more resistant to the treatments, however, and will require prescription-strength medicine. MICHAEL WYKE/Tulsa World

By SARA PLUMMER World Staff Writer
Published: 2/25/2009 2:22 AM
Last Modified: 2/25/2009 3:18 AM

Things are getting hairy, and itchy, as parents, school nurses and doctors are finding head lice harder to kill.

Head lice are becoming more resistant to over-the-counter treatments, and more people are seeking prescription-strength medicines, said Dr. William Geffen, clinical professor of pediatrics at the University of Oklahoma's School of Community Medicine.

"It's old-fashioned evolution," Geffen said. "You kill off all of them except those with a mutation," which makes them immune to treatment. "Those produce more readily."

Head lice are small, parasitic insects that live on the scalp. Their eggs, or nits, are glued to hair shafts near the scalp.

Gwen Anderson, a registered nurse and the school nurse and social worker coordinator at two elementary schools in Sand Springs, said she sees a case of head lice about once a week.

"You'll have families that get it, and you try to work with them, check the class," she said. "It's a lot of work to take care of it. Getting the nits out and making sure everything in the house is clean, it's a lot of work."

Jerry Bates, assistant head for institutional advancement at Riverfield Country Day School, said the private school has about one episode of lice a year and then it's over.

"We haven't had any cases since before Christmas," he said.

Bates recommends two treatments to ensure that the lice are killed plus daily combing to get all the nits out of the hair.

"This fall's version seemed a little resistant," he said. "What works for some people doesn't work for others and vice versa."

Anderson said she also has noticed head lice becoming harder to combat.

The treatments are "not working like they used to," she said.

A major outbreak of head lice occurs about every 10 years, Geffen said, but in between, there are good years and bad years.

Anderson said she tries to check the students at least twice a year, when school starts in late summer and after students return from winter break.

"I would love to check once a month, but there just isn't the staffing to do that," she said.

When a child is found to be infested with head lice, a parent is called to pick up the child. If there are siblings at other schools, that school is notified, and a head check is conducted there, as well.

Parents are given information about treatments and prevention when they pick up their children.

A typical policy is that the child has to be cleared by the school nurse before returning to class.

Most insurance companies won't cover a visit to the doctor for head lice until several over-the-counter treatments have been tried first, Geffen said.

The prescription treatment costs about $100.

"We have good medicines, but they are more expensive," he said, and home remedies, such as covering the head in mayonnaise or Vaseline, just aren't effective. "It's a real problem."

If head lice continue to become more resistant to chemical treatments, Geffen said people might have to resort to using nit combs primarily and just doing that every day until the lice are gone.

"There's a market for it," he said. "Right now, it's not an unsolvable problem; it's a nuisance."

The Tulsa City-County Health Department doesn't track cases of head lice but does offer tips and advice. Call 582-9355 or go online to tulsaworld.com/tulsahealth.

Head lice problem requires attention

What are head lice?: Head lice are tiny parasitic insects that live on the human scalp and feed on blood. They are brownish to grayish white with six legs and are about the size of a sesame seed. Eggs, or nits, are extremely small, oval shaped and cream-colored. They are found glued to hair shafts about a quarter of an inch from the scalp, usually near the neckline and ears.

Check often: Itching is usually associated with head lice, but not always. Check once a week for early detection by dividing hair into one-inch sections with a comb and inspecting under a bright light.

How lice spread: Head lice cannot fly or jump, but they can crawl quickly. They spread through head-to-head contact or by sharing hair brushes, towels, pillows or jackets. Head lice do not live on pets.

Treatment: Over-the-counter treatments are available at most drug stores. Prescription medication also is available. Comb hair with a special, close-toothed comb, which also is available at drug stores. People must also treat the home by vacuuming floors and furniture carefully, washing and drying clothing and bedding at hot temperatures and washing combs and brushes. Items that cannot be washed, such as stuffed animals, should be put in tightly sealed bags for at least two weeks.

Source: Tulsa City-County Health Department

Sara Plummer 581-8465
sara.plummer@tulsaworld.com By SARA PLUMMER World Staff Writer

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	Report Comment Tony G, Tulsa (2/25/2009 5:45:39 AM) Hot showers will solve the lice problem. This doesn't happen overnight, but continue every other day for a week, and they will be gone. Shampoo and strong running water removes the lice, the heat kills the nits. Believe me--this works--my daughter was always getting them in middle school.
	Report Comment Tony G, Tulsa (2/25/2009 5:48:49 AM) Oh Keep the Change your comments are crude, about normal for the average republican around here. I strongly suggest you find accurate news sources and quit relying on Fox and the A.M hate jockeys.
	Report Comment Echos, Tulsa (2/25/2009 6:39:21 AM) Use vaseline. Saturate your head, put a shower cap on and sleep. It suffocates them
	Report Comment dwhitney, Tulsa (2/25/2009 7:54:33 AM) Slow news day
	Report Comment J3SS!CA, Sh0NkA (2/25/2009 8:22:48 AM) My sisters kids got it from day care and she used the same one echo used only insteed of vaseline it was mayo. I bet echo idea smelled better.(o_-) This story made my head crawl.
	Report Comment cubswin, (2/25/2009 8:35:04 AM) Lice MD works the best. it's about $10 and you can get it at Wal-Mart, Med-X, Walgreens, ect. it has no pesticides and can be used as many times as necessary. it's a thick, oily gel that traps and kills them. only takes 10 minutes and it comes with a comb. i just can't stand to think about putting a pesticide on my child's body.
	Report Comment Intermittently Semi-Serious, Broken Arrow (2/25/2009 8:44:49 AM) I can hardly wait for the day to come when we have almost eradicated lice. I want to see the PETA ad trying to get them on the endangered species list...swimsuits optional.
	Report Comment Heather '75, Tulsa (2/25/2009 9:10:07 AM) My daughter suffered a really bad case of lice back in 1st grade and two different OTC lice treatments didn't help at all. We finally went with the mayo treatment - slathered it on her head and made sure her scalp was completely covered, then she slept with a shower cap on (reinforced with a couple of bandanas). I'd wake her up extra early for a shower, wash her hair really well and then go through her hair, section by section, removing any nits I could find. We did this every day for 6 or 7 days, then repeated it one more time about a week later to kill any possible lice that may have hatched from nits that I may have missed. If I remember right, the nits take 6 or 7 days to hatch and then it's another day or two before the resultant louse is able to produce nits, so the point of the later, lone treatment is to kill any "leftovers" before they're able to lay new eggs and start the whole thing over again. Incredibly labor-intensive, but it worked. Fortunately, we've never had to go through that again.
	Report Comment Echos, Tulsa (2/25/2009 10:04:28 AM) I dont know, I did try mayo but it left sores on my daughters head. That is when I went to vaseline. Had to use goop to get it out though. Left hair feeling so dang soft........
	Report Comment born okay the 1st time, tulsa (2/25/2009 11:06:21 AM) They say they are immediately sent home & have to be rechecked. Not true. Many times my daughter has came home from school & told stories of other kids having lice,& they stayed the day.The times my girls got it, they were rarely ever checked the next day. Main reason its become resistant is 1) overtreatment; using the product when you dont have to, & 2) not eradicating them the first time around & having to keep retreating. Key to riddance is pick ,pick, pick & keep picking. Wash all bedding & pillows in hot water or dryer for 30 minutes or more. Stuffed animals bagged for a week or in the dryer. Check all family members, & recheck in 3-5 days, continue this for about 2 weeks. Should take care of the problem. Funny thing is, most associate lice with being dirty, lice prefer clean hair, greasy hair makes it hard for the eggs to stick.
	Report Comment born okay the 1st time, tulsa (2/25/2009 11:06:53 AM) BTW, if you use vaseline, Dawn dish soap takes it out great. The blue kind.
	Report Comment Mar, Tulsa (2/25/2009 11:32:02 AM) If parents would bathe their children more often or oversee that the older children are bathed more often, there would be less of a problem with lice. Also, adults need to do the same. I use to work at a child care center in the 2 year old group and you wouldn't believe how dirty toddlers would when their parents brought them to the day care center. Most of those parents were low income, single mothers. Their diaper bags would also be filthy and smell of cigarette smoke, yuck.
	Report Comment SailorMoon xRRx, Tulsa (2/25/2009 12:08:48 PM) My daughter has had them at least 5 times this year already, and it's a little redunkoulous. I don't have it, neither do my boys. The people in the office at her school made me feel as if it was all MY fault! I've done everything you're supposed to, and when your child goes to school one day with no bugs, and has them the next (big bugs, not hatchlings, or no nits)it's a school problem, or parents who aren't doing their part. I've spent about 100 bucks treating this time,buying the shampoo and the bedding spray, not to mention the cleaning involved each time and it's just ridiculous! Sorry for the rant, but it's been "bugging" me....XD
	Report Comment SailorMoon xRRx, Tulsa (2/25/2009 12:16:58 PM) Oh, and i didn't read born okay the first time's comments.....THANK YOU! I've been trying to tell people that for years, and no one seems to believe it, of course they prefer clean hair...and I've tried the home remedies too, they're just very time consuming!
	Report Comment owen, Tulsa (2/25/2009 12:47:27 PM) The main reason that some kids aren't sent home when they have lice is that some parents won't answer the telephone if it is a call from the school. This also happens when children are sent to school ill. The parent knows they will be called to pick up the child. Then he/she must take a day off from work or pay a baby sitter. It's so much cheaper to let the school clinic baby sit and the custodians clean up the mess.
	Report Comment Midtown Res, Tulsa (2/25/2009 1:02:02 PM) Everyone has laughed at me when I cover the headrest on the seats at the movie theater! Now I have proven that I am not paranoid. This is a real issue. I am surprised this method of passing lice was not mentioned in the article.
	Report Comment Dubbya, Dallas (2/25/2009 2:49:49 PM) Had to shave the twins' head once...that didn't go well.
	Report Comment somewear, Yale (2/25/2009 2:57:52 PM) My step-daughters had them a few years back, tried everything finally tried olive oil overnight worked the first time nits and all. Not the cheapest remedy but well worth the $$$!
	Report Comment Johnmayercks08, Tulsa (2/25/2009 3:37:34 PM) Honestly.. Dyeing Your hair gets rid of it over night. I know no one wants to dye their kids hair, but when I was in school my mom tried everything!! so one day she decided to try hair dye which was her last resort, and it worked! I woke up the next morning with nothing in my hair.
	Report Comment tulsandn, Boswell / Tulsa (2/25/2009 4:37:19 PM) So that's how come this kid in town had green hair, I thought he was just being a goofy kid....
	Report Comment Ric, Broken Arrow (2/25/2009 5:02:21 PM) Soak your hair in Arkansas River for a 10 minutes.
	Report Comment God Bless our Troops, Small town (2/25/2009 6:45:41 PM) When I was in junior h.s. (15 years ago) our school had an outbreak of lice and it was resistant to over the counter lice shampoo because people were only treating their kids heads and not washing clothes, blankets, pillow cases, etc. and it just caused them to become super bugs... reminds me of the fleas in OK! Blech!
	Report Comment Bullhead, Nicut (2/25/2009 9:47:35 PM) Ric, Broken Arrow (2/25/2009 5:02:21 PM) Soak your hair in Arkansas River for a 10 minutes. ---------------------------------------------- Bet the Illinois River water would work too. All that chicken doodoo and pesticides should kill anything.
	Report Comment floodcitygirl, (2/25/2009 10:24:01 PM) I'm not sure this will work, but I have heard that if you have one of those old fashioned hair dryers with a hood that covers your hair, the hot air will kill the lice. I know they get hot enough to burn your ears. I remember. And while we're on the subject, hot steam is supposed to disinfect your house better (safer) than cleaners, too. Maybe we need to go back to the old days and take a lesson from mom.
	Report Comment Heybunny!, tulsa (2/25/2009 11:11:27 PM) GBOT, same thing happened when I was in school- If you ever get lice, remember to wash your bedding! Or it will never go away!

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