{"id":14948,"date":"2020-08-17T10:00:41","date_gmt":"2020-08-17T14:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/?p=14948"},"modified":"2020-08-14T15:28:47","modified_gmt":"2020-08-14T19:28:47","slug":"lice-treatment-for-kids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/lice-treatment-for-kids\/","title":{"rendered":"How to prevent\u2014and treat\u2014lice in children"},"content":{"rendered":"

Endless coughs and sneezes, runny noses, and unexplained itchy bumps\u2014kids seem to be a magnet for germs. In our parent’s guide to childhood illnesses, we talk about the symptoms and treatments for the most common conditions. Read the full series here<\/a>.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

What are lice?<\/a> | Symptoms of head lice<\/a> | Diagnosis<\/a> | Lice treatment for kids<\/a> | Home remedies for lice <\/a>| Prevention<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

One afternoon, as the toddlers in my class at the daycare were slowly waking up from naptime, I sat with two sleepy children in my lap as we quietly read stories. This serenity was quickly interrupted when I saw an insect scurrying through one of the children\u2019s hair. I quickly put both children down and double-checked that my eyes had not deceived me. Later that day, a phone call from the child\u2019s mother confirmed my suspicions\u2014the child had lice. So did their sibling in another class. Thus began the occasional daycare phenomenon I like to call \u201clice panic.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

While irritating, <\/span>lice<\/span><\/a> are not generally dangerous, but they do cause quite a stir!<\/span><\/p>\n

What are lice?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Head lice are tiny insects that live on human hair and feed on blood from the scalp. They pass easily from person to person, particularly from close contact, but can also be spread from shared objects such as hats and hairbrushes. They do not fly or jump. Head lice are not dangerous and do not spread disease.<\/span><\/p>\n

Head lice are different than body lice. As the names suggest, head lice live on the head, and body lice live on the body. They are different parasites with different causes and treatments. For the purposes of this article, \u201clice\u201d will refer to head lice.<\/span><\/p>\n

How common are lice?<\/b><\/h3>\n

Approximately <\/span>6 to 12 million<\/span><\/a> infestations of lice occur each year among children 3 to 11 years of age in the United States.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the times of year I tend to see a spike in lice cases is toward the end of the summer and early in the school year,\u201d says Erum Ilyas, MD, the founder of <\/span>Montgomery Dermatology<\/span><\/a> in Pennsylvania. \u201cMany are linked to camps and the beginning of the school year.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

While lice commonly spread through children in places like <\/span>child care centers and schools<\/span><\/a>, adults can catch lice, too\u2014frequently from a family member with lice.<\/span><\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/b>How to keep kids healthy all year long<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

What do lice look like?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Lice are small (<\/span>about 2-3 mm, the size of a sesame seed<\/span><\/a>) wingless bugs that are usually pale and gray, though their color can vary.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Lice lay eggs in casings called nits. The nits are about 0.8 mm long and 0.3 mm wide and are shaped like an oval. The nits remain stuck to the hair after the eggs hatch. They are yellow or white in color and can be hard to spot on some hair colors.<\/span><\/p>\n

Newly hatched lice, called nymphs, are about the size of a pinhead (1.5 mm), and look like the adult lice they will become in about a week.<\/span><\/p>\n

Symptoms of lice infestation include:<\/span><\/p>\n