Students with lice no longer need to be sent home from school

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — As students head back to school, many parents might not be aware of the latest lice policies issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC has recently updated its guidelines on how schools and families should handle head lice infestations. One significant change is that students with head lice no longer need to be sent home early from school. Students are now allowed to finish the school day, receive a home lice treatment and return to class as soon as the following morning.

When it comes to the “no-nit” policies of the past the health organization along with the American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Association of School Nurses advocate for discontinuing children to be completely free of nits before returning to school.

The CDC states that while nits (lice eggs) may remain in the hair after treatment, successful treatment should kill the crawling lice, significantly reducing the risk of transmission.

The CDC and the other organizations argue that:

• Many nits are more than a quarter-inch from the scalp, making them unlikely to hatch or become crawling lice.
• Nits bond to hair shafts and are unlikely to transfer to others.
• The burden of missing school days due to nits far outweighs the minimal risk of transmission, especially when the lice have been treated.
• When performed by non-medical professionals, misdiagnosis of nits is common.

Despite these updated guidelines, a recent survey by Nix , a well-known lice treatment brand, revealed that numerous parents are unaware of these changes. The survey, which focused on parents of children ages 5-11, found that:

• 66% of parents are unaware that schools are not required to report a lice outbreak.
• 58% of parents reported that their children have had lice before, and surprisingly, one in four of these parents admitted to knowingly sending their child to school with lice.
• 28% of parents chose to keep their child’s lice infestation a secret.

The CDC listed these symptoms on its website:

• A tickling feeling or a sensation of something moving in the hair
• Irritability and sleeplessness
• Sores on the head caused by scratching, which can sometimes become infected with bacteria normally found on your skin

Additionally, these steps were listed to help prevent and control the spread of head lice:

• Avoid head-to-head (hair-to-hair) contact during play and other activities at home, school, and elsewhere (sports activities, playground, slumber parties, camp).
• Do not share clothing such as hats, scarves, coats, sports uniforms, hair ribbons, or barrettes.
• Do not share combs, brushes, or towels. Disinfect combs and brushes used by an infested person by soaking them in hot water (at least 130°F) for 5 – 10 minutes.
• Do not lie on beds, couches, pillows, carpets, or stuffed animals that have recently been in contact with someone infested with head lice.
• Machine wash and dry clothing, towels, bed linens, and other items that a person infested with lice wore or used two days before treatment. Use the hot water (130°F) laundry cycle and the high heat drying cycle. If you can’t wash or dry clean items, seal them in a plastic bag and store them for two weeks.
• Vacuum the floor and furniture, particularly where the infested person sat or lay. However, spending much time and money on housecleaning activities is not necessary to avoid reinfestation by lice or nits that may have fallen off the head or crawled onto furniture or clothing.
• Do not use fumigant sprays or fog; they are not necessary to control head lice and can be toxic if inhaled or absorbed through the skin.

The CDC suggests treating lice infestations with both over-the-counter and prescription medications.

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