Head Lice Are Bad Enough But Now Super Lice?
What does head lice look like?
Head lice, or pediculosis, are tiny insects that crawl from head to head, latch onto hair follicles, and then feed on tiny droplets of blood. Sounds gross, right? School nurses, teachers and parents know these little pests are no strangers to day care centers and elementary schools. Young people are in close quarters making it easy for these sesame seed-sized-insects to spread. Adults aren’t exempt from these annoying little critters but the itchy condition is most common in school kids, particularly girls. Head lice are bad enough but now there’s the fear of super lice.
Super lice are the same as head lice except they are believed to have become resistant to over-the-counter lice treatment and medications. For years researchers have been warning that head lice not only in the United States but around the world are developing immunity to the strong insecticides used in over-the-counter and prescription shampoos. Shirley C. Gordon, an associate professor at Florida Atlantic University who studies persistent head lice, notes it takes only three to five years for the bugs to adapt to a new product. Manufacturers of these over-the-counter products beg to differ and health officials continue to recommend products such as Nix and RID. Health officials agree that the permethrin in Nix, the pyrethrin s in RID, the lindane in Kwell and the prescription malathion in Ovide may not work on everyone but it still works on some people.
Whether you’re dealing with a case of head lice or the feared super lice what product are you using to get rid of lice? Are you using RID? How about NIX? Are you removing lice the old-fashion way with a tried and true fine-toothed nit comb? There are many new products that you may or may not have heard of such as Lice B Gone which is a non-toxic shampoo, Accu-Life Lice Cure which is a lice and egg removal system, or the urban legend of mayonnaise – HeadLiceInfo.com suggests you opt for olive oil which is easier to remove from hair. If you’re a school nurse checking students for head louse do you use the wood applicators AKA “chop-sticks” or have you tried the new Neon Nits Head Lice Locator? For a light-hearted book to read to your students or children check out Yikes-Lice! by Donna Caffey. Share your best remedies, stories and remember to take this week’s democracy poll!
Source: MSNBC
This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 24th, 2008 at 8:58 am and is filed under Health Room.
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September 12th, 2009 at 10:57 am
Need to get the word out about the mutant strain of lice. There really is a strain of lice that is highly resistant to all of the traditional treatments.
We’ve been engaged in “Bug Wars” for almost 3 months now. Tried all the over the counter stuff. Tried 5% Permethrin Cream. Bought 10% permethrin insecticide intended for farm animals. Also Mayonase - Olive oil. Use the steel combs on a daily basis. Boil cloths, sheets, pillow, towels in water every day. Spray bed, furniture, bathroom, car several times a week with very strong insecticide.
Permethrin paralyzes the lice, so most of them die of starvation. But atleast 10% come back to life after the Permethrin wears off and go on laying eggs.
I shaved off 99% of the hair on my entire body, but they still manage to reproduce and thrive by hanging out in areas which are very difficult to reach - in ears, nostrils, eye lashes and “where the sun don’t shine”.
Trust me its really disgusting dabbing toilet paper with insecticide, sticking it up your nose and leaving it there for hours at a time.
Adding to the disgust are all the little scabs that form over the bites and seem to serve as protective shelters for blood sucking lice .
My doctor is afraid to have me come in the office - afraid his staff or other patients might catch them. He writes scripts over the phone.
I’ve beaten the population back to small numbers but still can not kill them off. Even tried bathing in a 20% solution of bleach. Recently bought Malathion from a local garden supply and bathed in a 1% solution.
I keep a small bottle of 1% malathion with me day and night and dab it on my nose, head, legs, arm, genitals any time I feel the slightest movement.
I tried ordering 3 mg capsules of Ivermectin over the internet but might not have taken a sufficient quantity. I only took 3 at a time and did not take it on an empty stomach. So now I’m trying it again taking 6 at a time on an empty stomach.
We’ve been very careful with our life style over the 3 months, working from home and avoiding public places as much as possible in order to try to prevent spreading these lice around our community.
One thing is for sure. We caught them through the routine of daily life. We did nothing more risky then eating in a public restraunt or sleeping in a decent hotel. So these lice are going to spread and increase in numbers until there is a major outbreak around the country.
The CDC and local medical experts need to gear up for these parasites quickly and not waste time with traditional treatments.
We’ve spent over a $1000 and nearly 3 months trying to get rid of these infernal bugs. Imagine what it will be like for large populations to deal with a major outbreak of these highly resistant lice.
It could make the H1N1 flu virus look insiginificant in terms of the economic and social impact.
Someone at the CDC needs to figure out how to deal with these things before it gets completely out of control.
October 24th, 2009 at 4:48 pm
Yup, I know EXACTLY where you are coming from when you say “superlice!!!” They are super…super hard to kill anyway. We spent hundreds too similar to Azoth’s experience above…hundreds, and even got a doctor prescription for Lindane, and still, didn’t kill them all. The eggs seemed to be the toughest for our family, but it’s finally over.
We keep our daugther’s hair in braids now and she is not to borrow things anymore, like hats.
CDC is really trying to combat these things, but honestly they don’t know what is going on and why they are mutating in such a rapid fashion that is becoming literally unstoppable. I don’t see “fleas” mutate like this…so why lice?
Anyway, great article!
Scott
December 4th, 2009 at 7:58 pm
Sorry to say that I am still battling the mutant lice. Have a few lessons learned to share.
1) Using Bleach and /or Malathion is a bad idea.
2) Some people have hair all over their bodies that head lice seem to love.
3) Be aware that scratching can dislodge lice eggs and they will have 10 to 15 days to hatch and re-infest you.
4) Kerosene is like napalm to lice - HOWEVER:
Hundreds sources state that kerosene should never be used under any circumsances. Yet kerosene (or DDT) is what was used in the good old days before dozens of bug medical treatments took over the market. Make NO mistake - Kerosene is flamable and poison so it will make you ill if you leave it on your skin for more than a few minutes at a time. Too much exposure to kerosene will kill you. But if you have had lice for six months and have already tried using alcohol, bleach, malathion, etc … and just cant get rid of them, you might be desperate enough to try kerosene. If so recommend diluting it 1:1 with vegetable oil and leaving on for no more then ten minutes before thoroughly washing it out. Of course great care must be taken to avoid flames, sparks, etc. So although using kerosene to kill drug-resistant lice is dangerous as hell, the good news is that its cheap and it highly effective.