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Head lice - Management
Overview of management

  • Check for head lice by detection combing and treat the person only if a live head louse is found.
  • Treat all affected household members simultaneously.
  • Depending on the preference of the individual or parent and on the treatment history, treat with:
    • Dimeticone 4% lotion (Hedrin®).
    • Wet combing using the Bug Buster® comb and method.
    • Isopropyl myristate and cyclomethicone solution (Full Marks Solution®).
    • Coconut, anise, and ylang ylang spray (Lyclear SprayAway®).
    • Malathion 0.5% aqueous liquid.
  • All treatments need more than one treatment session.
  • No treatment can guarantee success.
  • Treatment has the best chance of success if it is performed correctly and if all affected household members are treated on the same day.
  • 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).

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