School fights spread of headlice

September 10, 2007;  Northampton Chronicle & Echo
http://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/news/School-fights-spread-of-headlice.3186536.jp

Pupils and parents at Wootton Primary School are beating the bugs as part of a national campaign to fight the spread of headlice.

The Beat the Bugs initiative provides parents with the resources and advice to tackle headlice if they are spotted, including a free headlice comb and headlice treatment.

Mary Morris, of Wootton and Tudor Pharmacy, said: "The number of headlice cases in the UK has grown over the last 30 years, partly because lice have built up a resistance to some treatments but also because many parents aren't aware that they need to check their family's hair regularly, or even how to do it properly.

"As a community pharmacy, we feel we have a valuable role to play in supporting parents, which is why we wanted to be involved in the Beat the Bugs campaign.

"All our team are trained to educate parents on how to check for lice properly and are completely up to date with the latest research on treatments available over the counter."

This month, television presenter Philippa Forrester launched a national campaign called Once A Week, Take A Peek.

The campaign aims to encourage parents to check their children's hair regularly, following a survey that claimed one in 10 parents only checked for lice once a year.

More information about the campaign and how to deal with headlice is available online at www.onceaweektakeapeek.com.