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nursing office indicate that the
problem is growing.
In the 1993-94 academic year,
the school district found 1,282
children with lice. In the '94-95
year, the total rose to 2,097. And
last year it was 3,137.
The number of school days
lost to lice (infected children are
supposed to stay home until
they are treated with special
shampoo) has risen according-
ly, from 845 in 1993-94 to 2,040
last year.
This trend is probably echoed
elsewhere.
"Based on the number of calls
we've been getting since Sep-
tember, there seems to be an
awful lot more cases out there,"
said Chris Williams, a public-
health nurse with San Diego's
Department of Health Services.
"There is a real stigma in-
volved," said Mr. Williams. "Peo-
ple think if their kids have lice,
it means their house is dirty,
and that's simply not true. Yet
they feel ashamed."
That's how Rose Kampmann
felt. She lives in an upscale area,
and when her daughter came
down with lice this year, she re-
coiled in shock and embarrass-
ment. "My first response was,
`Oh, my God,' " she said.
The more she looked into it,
though, the more she realized
how easy it is to contract lice.
And how little people know
about it.
There are still those among
us, for example, who believe
that lice can fly or jump, and
that this is the way the insects
move from head to head. Or,
they believe that lice are carried
by pet dogs, cats or birds.
These are myths, and they
only make it more difficult for
health officials and parents to
combat the problem.
Treatment shampoos are
not cheap, and if the family is
struggling financially, the re-
quirement to delouse the child
can be a burden.
The shampoos, available
without a prescription at drug-
stores, are used over a sink, not
in a shower or bath. They have
to stay on the head for 10 min-
utes or so.
These washes kill the lice, but
not the nits. These have to be re-
moved, strand by strand, with
fine-toothed combs or finger-
nails. It is painstaking work and
it usually must be done on a
class of citizens - young children
- not known for its ability to sit
still.
And then the whole thing has
to be repeated in a week to 10
days to kill off any lice that may
have hatched after the first
treatment.
Now a new dilemma is rising.
The National Pediculosis Asso-
ciation, a nonprofit education
agency that assists families with
head lice and scabies, reports
that lice appear to be develop-
ing resistance to the medica-
tions.
"For the past year, the NPA
has been averaging 50 calls a
day from parents and health
professionals reporting product
treatment failure," the associa-
tion said in its newsletter re-
cently.
Frustrated parents have re-
sponded by using the shampoos
repeatedly - not recommended
because of the chemicals in-
volved - or by using dangerous
alternatives, such as kerosene
or anti-tick shampoos made for
dogs, the association added.
Shampoo manufacturers be-
lieve their products are effective,
and trace some of the failures to
improper use by harried par-
ents.
The National Pediculosis As-
sociation is sponsoring a study
at the Harvard School of Public
Health to determine if the lice
are resistant to the pesticides.
In the meantime, parents
need to be vigilant, health au-
thorities say. Include lice-check-
ing as part of your hygiene
routine with your child. And if
treatment is required, be thor-
ough. And patient. ❑
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