When WTNH New Haven, CT heard about the potential increase in the spread of “super lice” during the summer season, the News 8 staff contacted Lice Treatment Center® HQ staff in Monroe, CT for an on-air feature.
According to the WTNH News 8 report, experts are warning about what’s known as “super lice” – bugs that do not respond to conventional treatments. “One of the symptoms of lice is itchiness. In extreme cases, you may even be able to see the bugs in someone’s hair. Experts say often there are not a lot of options for getting rid of the pests,” the News 8 reporter stated.
During the News 8 feature Adrian Picheny, one of the owners of Lice Treatment Center in Monroe said, “The lice have become resistant to the standard over-the-counter treatments that are available.” He added that sectioning the hair and using a special comb to remove the bugs and the eggs is the best way to get rid of lice. Picheny also said, “The bugs do not fly or jump; they crawl. They can live off of a head for up to 48 hours. They are most commonly spread through head to head contact. Though you might think of super lice as something that only affects kids, that’s not always the case.” Kyle Stevens, head technician at Lice Treatment Center added, “The bugs are only about the size of a sesame seed. The eggs, called nits, are even smaller. The nits are going to be very, very small, about the size of a poppy seed. They have kind of a teardrop shape and they stay glued to the hair.”
In theory, if you went to the movies and sat in a movie theater seat where somebody with lice had been sitting before you, you could get lice that way,” said Picheny.
The News 8 reporter warned that experts say your best bet is to prevent lice from becoming a problem in the first place. That’s why if someone in the family gets lice the entire family should be checked and everyone should be made aware of how lice spread. Though lice can be a problem all year long, experts often see an uptick in the summer, as people travel and kids go to summer camps. Many schools and camps now do lice screenings to prevent lice from spreading.
After the WTNH News 8 TV feature, Lice Treatment Center® President, Liz Solovay and Medical Director, Dr. Elin Cohen, stated that the timing of the News 8 feature was a fortuitous considering that parents who are about to send their children to camp this summer ought to take precautions to ensure that their campers stay lice-free during the summer by packing Lice Treatment Center’s lice prevention shampoo and conditioner with their camping gear. For information about LTC’s products and LTC’s services please visit our website.