By Dawn Mucci
For many children, camp is a fundamental part of growing up. It
is a time of fun in the sun, new friends and new experiences. For
parents and children, camp is a welcome break and a time for education
and personal growth.
However, there is a common pest that can put a damper on any camp experience. I am referring to the head louse, the second most communicable affliction among school aged children, next to the common cold.
For camp directors, owners and administrators, head lice can become a frustrating and often irritating nightmare. Gone undetected, head lice can spread through a camp as fast as wildfire through a dry forest.
The following are some tips and suggestions on what camps need to know about head lice and what can be done to prevent outbreaks if lice is detected in a camper or staff member.
Lice is not caused by poor hygiene. It prefers clean hair and affect all segments of the human population. Lice is nothing to be ashamed of and no person having head lice should ever be made to feel dirty or bad about having contracted them.
Lice consists of dark brown/back bugs about 1 to 4 mm in size. A baby louse is called a nymph. Small as a pin head, nymphs can be transparent and sometimes look like little red dots on the scalp. Lice suck blood from the human head and do not live on other hairy parts of the body or on pets or livestock. Lice also do not hop, jump or fly. They crawl from head to head. A female louse lives for 30 days and needs a male to procreate. Female lice lay three to five nits (lice eggs) per day. Lice eggs are brownish/yellow and sometimes grey. They are not white. An empty egg case can appear see-through or clear. If you find white things attached to the hair these are called hair casts or DEC plugs that require no treatment at all.
CHECK AHEAD AND AVOID THE SPREAD.
It is wise to make sure that your camp follows a NO NIT POLICY approach to head lice. Parents can be given head lice policy instructions and information within their pre-registration packages asking that they check their child for head lice before sending them to camp.
To effectively maintain a NO NIT POLICY, camps can pre-screen all campers on arrival. If a child is found to have lice there are two options: the child can be sent home for treatment or the camp nurse or volunteers can treat the child on site. If you detect a child with lice before they are within the camp population, you have a better chance of getting rid of them before that child spreads the infestation to other campers. Remember, lice is highly contagious.
Camp nurses should be provided with adequate head lice screening and treatment kits. These would include effective lice removal combs, screening sticks, visors and topical treatment.
A word of caution about pesticide treatments: These are becoming less effective and parents and administrators of these treatments are becoming aware of the potential risks associated with the use of pesticides. Effective and safe alternatives are available. Ask parents what treatment is preferred as some children with certain ailments can react negatively to the pesticides found in head lice treatments.
And remember, never spray pesticides in cabins, while cleaning is best done by vacuuming or placing items in a dryer for 20 to 30 minutes.
Dawn Mucci is the director of The LiceSquad offers an information website, in home head lice removal services,
natural products, franchises and free telephone advice for head lice
sufferers.
|
