Cleveland Ohio Sees Super Lice Surge in Schools

Cleveland, OH, April 08, 2014 --(PR.com)-- Super lice, the term used to describe the increasingly hearty strains of head lice that abound, are making their presence known in Cleveland area schools. LiceDoctors, the largest head lice company in the country, with a large presence in Cleveland, reports that it is seeing a record number of lice cases. Families in, Strongsville, Shaker Heights, Parma, Lakewood, Solon, Euclid, Twinsburg, Chagrin Falls, as well as in the city of Cleveland have all recently experienced cases of head lice. Head lice are a major cause of school absenteeism.

According to Wendy Beck, owner of LiceDoctors, who is a pioneer in the field of lice treatment with 18 years’ experience, every year with the advent of warm weather, the incidence of head lice begins to climb. As lice become more resistant to chemical lice treatment shampoos, they become more difficult to kill. "Often parents think that their children are lice and nit-free after treatment with pesticides, but if nits are left in the hair and there is no effective follow-up plan then the case will start up again. In addition, various strains of lice are so hearty that they are immune to chemical treatments.” In addition, some people with lice have no symptoms so they are not even aware that they are walking around in a contagious state.

Compounding the problem is the fact that nits often camouflage in the hair, rendering them very difficult for the untrained eye to detect. Nits are translucent shells that are glued to the hair shaft; they contain a small brown bug called a nymph. These nits are particularly difficult to find in dark hair. Pulling the nit from the hair and placing it on a white background allows the viewer to see if the object is a nit or simply a piece of dandruff.

In addition, based on recommendations from the American Pediatric Association, many schools have begun to move away from “no nit” policies. The rationale is that by the time head lice are discovered in a child’s hair, they have likely been there several weeks giving the lice ample time to spread to other children. Since children are missing so much school, and are not in fact sick, the suggestion is that it is better for these students to remain in school. In addition, it is important to distinguish between lice and nits; the lice are contagious, while nits (eggs) are not. However, because some students have nits and are not effectively treating them, the nits hatch and then the bugs will eventually be transmitted to other children, thereby perpetuating the problem.

A Cleveland school nurse stated, "I don't like to send a child away from school with lice, but the reality is that they need to be treated and then I need to check them when they return. Some districts nearby have more lenient policies regarding admission to school, but we still don't allow kids back to school unless there are no signs of lice. Unfortunately, some parent are just not able to get rid of the lice that are immune to a lot of the so called pediculicides out there."

The best way to identify nits is to bring the child to a bright spot, either by a window, outside, or where there is a bright lamp. The light reflects against the translucent shell which makes it easier to find them. The most important thing to remember if your child has lice is that to truly eradicate a case, every nit must be removed. Once all of the nits are gone, then the child is completely lice-free.

Bringing in professional help can save you time and money. For service 7 days a week, day and night, call LiceDoctors in Cleveland at 216-273-6802 or find them on the web at www.licedoctors.com. LiceDoctors has treated over 110,000 people and has an "A" rating with the Better Business Bureau. The company is the only professional lice treatment service with a board-certified medical director on board.