How Fast Can Head Lice Run?

Head lice are extremely contagious, and you can easily pass the infection from person to person within your home or school. To prevent the spread of lice, you should treat your child at home or school immediately if you suspect they have been in contact with another person who has lice. The best way to treat head lice is to kill them at the nit stage, or when they’re close to the scalp.

A healthy child will have a low number of head lice, and a single infestation typically involves less than 10 live lice. Oftentimes, lice are asymptomatic, and the only symptom is a rash and itching. In severe cases, a secondary infection of the scalp may occur. Fortunately, head lice are not vectors for disease agents.

When you first notice that you have head lice, you can usually identify them by their egg shells. The shells are white and attach to the hair shaft. The eggshells are attached to the scalp for about two weeks and will not survive too long if they’re removed. The eggs hatch in seven to 12 days. The eggshell will stay on the hair shaft and will be easy to detect as the hair begins to grow. The shell will eventually fall off the head of the person with lice.

It’s crucial to treat head lice in the early stages to ensure that they don’t spread. Using the right medicine will help to eliminate the lice. You may also need to visit a health care provider for advice. It is important to note that certain medicines may reduce the effectiveness of head lice treatments.