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Head lice - Management
How should people check that treatment was successful?
- Insecticide treatment (physical or traditional)
- Advise people to check whether treatment was successful by detection combing on day 2 or day 3 after completing a course of treatment, and again after an interval of 7 days (day 9 or day 10 after completing a course of treatment).
- Treatment has been successful if no lice are found at both sessions.
- The presence of only nits (eggs) does not indicate treatment failure.
- Itching can persist for days to weeks after head lice eradication.
- If treatment has been repeated because the first treatment course was unsuccessful:
- Advise people to consider detection combing 5 days after the first application of treatment, and 2 days after the second application of treatment, and again after a further 7 days.
- Wet combing using the Bug Buster® comb and method
- The Bug Buster® comb and method has been successful if no lice are found on day 17.
- If lice are found on day 17, continue use of the Bug Buster® comb until no full-grown lice have been found on three consecutive sessions.
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