The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 279 No 7465 p185-188
18 August 2007

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Head lice treatments and advice

The prevalence of head lice is said to have increased since the early 1990s and resistance to insecticides has made treatment more challenging. With children returning to school after the summer holiday, pharmacists are soon likely to be asked for advice from parents about head lice infestation. Christine Clark looks at the current treatments that can be recommended

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SUMMARY

Head lice can affect people of any age but children between the ages of four and 11 years are the most frequently infested. Surveys in UK schools have found between 4 and 22 per cent of children are affected.

Girls are more commonly affected than boys (this may be because girls often huddle together when playing) and children living in urban areas are more frequently infested than those living in rural areas.

Although a common reaction to head lice is revulsion, it is worth remembering that a head lice infestation is a minor irritation — it rarely causes physical problems and head lice are not known to be vectors for infectious diseases.

Children who are found to have head lice do not need to be kept away from school — by the time the infestation is diagnosed it will have been present for several weeks. If left untreated, however, the numbers of lice increase and can cause severe itching and scratching, which can then lead to a secondary bacterial infection, such as impetigo.

The severity of infestation can vary but, in typical cases, about 10 lice can be found on a head. In addition, allergy to louse faeces can result in a rash on the back of the neck and behind the ears.

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