On the lookout for lice

MIRIAM HILL

IQALUIT — Parents of children attending Nakasuk Elementary School are being asked to check their children’s heads after four cases of lice were found in the school’s daycare.

Principal Hal Richards confirmed that a letter was sent to parents recently asking them to check for indications of lice or nits in their children’s hair.

Richards said the discovery of the lice in four instances was “fairly standard,” and that parents were given some basic information and asked to contact the school if any more cases were found.

Those affected were required to stay at home until treated with a specially formulated head-lice shampoo.

Parents were also directed to contact the public health office if they had further questions. While the number listed in the phone book for the Iqaluit public health office is in not in service, the office can be reached at 979-5306.

According to information from public health, the occurrence of lice has nothing to do with the cleanliness of the infected child or the home, and states the problem is common when groups of children live in close proximity.

Children are more prone to catching lice because they often play closely together. The lice are most easily transmitted by head-to-head contact.

Itching is the most common indication of head lice, and the nits — or louse eggs — are brownish and attached to the hair close to the scalp.

Once the nits are either hatched or dead, they turn white and can be mistaken for dandruff, although aren’t removed as easily as dandruff.

The easiest way to examine children is to comb through their hair in arrow sections.