Northwest Iowa — It’s back-to-school season in northwest Iowa, and you may have heard that this year your kids may be exposed to what some are calling “Super Lice”, which are rumored to be a mutation of normal head lice, that are difficult to kill.
O’Brien County Public Health Nurse Lisa Youngers says the so-called Super Lice are really nothing new. She says the best cure for head lice is the use of an over-the-counter lice kit. She says each lice kit has shampoo and a brush and a little comb in it, and combing the hair for 10-15 minutes every day to get those nits and any active bugs out is the most effective way of getting rid of lice. She says if you spot your child itching his or her head a lot, that’s a big clue.
Youngers says it’s important to comb the child’s hair daily with a lice comb and use over-the-counter treatments twice. She says it’s also important to read and follow the product directions carefully, correctly, and completely. She says it will also be necessary to treat the child’s bedding, clothes, backpacks, furniture, and anything else with which the child comes into contact.
Youngers says if over-the-counter treatments don’t work, contact your healthcare professional.
