Parents 'embarrassed' by head lice

Ocotober 23 2006;  IrishHealth.com

Almost one in five parents never check their children for head lice, the results of a new survey have found.

Head lice are insects that live on the human scalp and the eggs laid by female head lice are known as nits. They are extremely common - most children will get them at least once or twice. Around 80% of head lice infestations occur in children between the ages of four and 16.

Despite this, the survey found that almost 20% of parents never check their children for head lice, while around half would be 'very' or 'quite' embarrassed if their child had them.

Furthermore, despite efforts on the part of many schools to control the problem, one in four parents say they have never received any communication about head lice from their child's school.

Pharmacist, Darragh O'Loughlin, described the results of the research as 'somewhat worrying, as one of the keys to effectively managing the problem is for parents to check their child's hair regularly.

"It's a very common problem so no parent should feel embarrassed about it. And as infestations commonly occur in schools, it is essential that schools inform parents of any suspected cases in their school in an effort to control the problem", Mr O'Loughlin said.

The research was carried out on behalf of Hedrin.