Health Department gives tips on lice prevention

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – As children go back to school, the Zanesville-Muskingum County Health Department is advising parents to be on the look out for head lice.

Andrea Tanner with the Health Department said a common misconception is that lice won’t appear in clean hair. She says that lice actually are attracted to cleaner hair. She gives us some of the early warning signs that your child may have lice.

“The kid will start to itch their head a lot. So if you notice the kid itching their head you will want to start checking for the nits, which are little white eggs in their hair,” said Tanner. “By the time they hatch you’ll see bug.”

Lice are spread primarily through head-to-head contact and Tanner warns against letting your children share articles of clothing with classmates.

“They have over the counter medication and shampoos and stuff, but some lice are becoming resistant to that. So the best thing to do is to pick the nits out of the child’s hair everyday for about seven to ten days. Getting the nits out is the best treatment,” said Tanner.

Tanner said anyone with questions about lice can contact the Health Department at (740) 454-9741.