Up to 20,000 kids have head lice in Ireland at any one time, data showed yesterday.
As primary and secondary school students gear up for a new term, a pharmacy chain has urged parents to put “nit watch” on top of their lists.
Cormac Spooner, from Spooner’s CarePlus Pharmacy in Dublin’s Templeogue, said: “This is such a busy time for parents and we know from experience headlice, colds and skin conditions can spread quickly when kids get back together with their friends.”
The peak age for lice infection is between seven and eight, with 20,000 under-14s suffering on a daily basis.
Head lice are small insects about 1mm to 3mm long that live in human hair and can easily be passed from child to child.
The CarePlus top 5 tips for dealing with nits and lice are:
If you spot them in your child’s head, don’t panic! Ask your pharmacist for help.
When using a lice comb, wash the hair first and methodically comb the hair from top to bottom - The louse will be glued to the hair shaft about ¼ inch to ½ inch from the top of the head.
Remove lice before moving to the next section of hair.
If using lotions or sprays, check how long they must be left in the hair before brushing
You’ll need to check for baby lice hatching from eggs three to five days after you use a product.
