Can the spreading of lice be prevented by shaving the head? I read this in a letter to the British Medical Journal:

...head lice were never a clinical problem because these populations know how to interrupt its lifecycle: they shave off their hair, the only place where the eggs (nits) are anchored and glued close to the skin. Lice outside the hair are not transmissible and do not cause infestation...

Source: www.bmj.com/cgi/content/extract/330/7506/1510-c

Maybe so...but for a young girl it is a bit drastic isn't it!

Derbac all the wy when i was a kid at school every other week.

Easily solved through less drastic actions, many topical remedies readily available.

Agree; current treatments are much safer and much less distressing than shaving hair. There are fine combs available with hair treatment to get rid of nits. Treatment should involve both the eggs and live lice and should be continued beyond the 2 week life cycle of the bug.

Loads of self-help info available on the net.

although i have to say as a mother of three kids who all suffered from lice (99% of the kids here have/had lice at least once here), short hair is much easier ot comb out everyday. butt lenghth locks are a real bitch to comb out and uses a lot of hair conditioner besides, not to mention if u use anit lice stuff that u have to leave on their heads for a couple of minutes/ to have them sit around with long wet hair and cream on it isnt fun... with boys who have less problems iwth short short hair, shaving is defininatly an option.

helpful points: keep long hair in braids or tied up when in shcool; comb out every single day; and no, lice eggs dont die off too easily. boiling sheets and pillowcaases helps some and preventing sleep overs in same bed (in thailand in the country an impossibility, siblings sleep together) help some also. most kids grow out of getting lice as their hormones change, for whatever reason but some adults are more prone than others also (like me unfortunately)... ...

rosemary oil works...

and a good metal toothed lice comb

bina

israel