Are Head Lice Contagious to Children?

There are a few ways to keep head lice from affecting your child. The best way is to avoid sharing personal items and to avoid having contact with a person who has lice. In addition, you should treat any members of your household who come into contact with an infected person. Head-to-head contact is extremely dangerous for lice, so you should avoid letting your child share hats, stuffed animals, or other personal items. Make sure that your child washes these items with hot water and dry them in a hot cycle. If washing is not possible, store them in a plastic bag for at least two weeks. Soaking a hairbrush in hot water will also kill the lice on it.

While head lice can spread to other people through head-to-head contact, it is most often spread by direct contact. This is because adult female louse can travel from one person to another. It is also spread through sharing personal items, such as towels and combs. This makes it essential to find a place where you can keep your personal items and keep them away from others.

Lice can spread through sneezing and coughing. Additionally, the bites of the lice can spread infection when scratched. Symptoms of head lice include red, tender, crusty, or oozing scalp and swollen lymph glands.