Chris Puglia
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Oct 23/02) - Young children share everything -- juice, toys, hats. In the latter case, sharing hats can also lead to the spread of head lice.

"There are cases going on at all the schools. Head lice is always around," said Karen Deviller, director of public health for Yellowknife Health and Social Services.

There have been a few cases in schools but Deviller said it is nothing to worry about.

"There is no epidemic; it is quite normal, she said."

Part of the reason head lice spreads in schools is due to a general lack of knowledge about the problem.

"Many parents don't even know what head lice is until their child gets it," said Deviller.

Once a child is determined to have head lice, he or she cannot return to school until it has been treated.

Getting rid of lice

However, Deviller says a lot of people don't know the proper way to treat the parasites.

Shampoos are available to kill live lice, but Deviller said that is not the only thing parents have to do.

"They have to pick the nits out," said Deviller.

Nits are the tiny white eggs that lice lay that attach to hair follicles and are not destroyed by the shampoos.

The nits can picked out by hand or the public health unit will rent out stainless-steel licemeister combs, designed to remove nits. Shampoos are provided free of charge to parents who can't afford it.

Aside from removing the parasites from the child's head, parents are also told to wash pillows and bed sheets and vacuum carpets if their child has head lice.

"People are throwing out things and cleaning carpets. That is totally unnecessary, vacuuming is enough," said Deviller.

Check often

Parents are also advised to check their child's head often for lice.

"You can check them today and tomorrow they can have head lice," said Deviller.

Deviller said if head lice is left untreated, it can cause a rash and be embarrassing because a child's hair may need to be cut to get out all the lice.

Contact public health for more information about head lice.