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Head lice - Management
Basis for recommendation
These recommendations are based on guidelines from the Public Health Medicine Environmental Group [PHMEG, 2008].
Detection combing
- Detection combing (on dry or wet hair) is recommended because there is evidence to show that both methods are more effective and more reliable than direct visual inspection (by parting the hair).
- Choice will depend on personal preference.
Itching is not sufficient to diagnose active head lice infestation.
- Itching is caused by a delayed hypersensitivity reaction to louse saliva and may persist after the eradication of head lice [Ibarra, 1998; HPA, 2008; PHMEG, 2008].
Nits alone are not sufficient to diagnose active head lice infestation.
- Eggs glued to hairs, whether hatched (nits) or unhatched, are not proof of active infestation, because it is difficult to distinguish between dead and live eggs with the naked eye, and eggs may retain a viable appearance for weeks after death [Ibarra, 1998; Burgess, 2006].
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