Hingham High School Students Infested with Head Lice

Hingham High School Principal Paula Girouard McCann sent an email to parents yesterday afternoon to inform them of  an incidence of head lice.

McCann said the head lice stemmed from a field trip, but would not indicate which field trip.  According to McCann, the homes of all the students who were on the trip have been contacted.  McCann said she could not give out the number of students who had lice yet stated there were "only a few."

In the email, McCann attached a letter from the school nurse Patricia Szyman  telling parents not to be alarmed as this is a common occurrence in schools.

 According to Syzman, anyone who has close contact with an infested person or shares personal items can become infested.  Head lice, which are tiny insects that are found on the scalp and hair, are spread by crawling  from person-to-person or onto shared personal items, such as combs, brushes, hats, sports helmets, clothing, bedding, or towels.

According to nurse Syzman, the eggs hatch in about 10 days, with new lice reaching adulthood in about two weeks.  The female louse, about the size of a sesame seed, can live for 20 to 30 days and can lay about six eggs a day.

Head lice expert Berit Pratt said lice are easier to kill than people think. Pratt is a school nurse at Fayerweather Street School  in Cambridge and the CEO of a professional head lice removal company, NitWits LLC.   She says lice can be killed in one day.

 Pratt does not recommend over-the-counter shampoos and instead informs people with head lice to wash their hair with olive oil and white conditioner which will kill the insects.  She also recommends anyone with lice to use a metal lice comb. For boys, Pratt recommended shaving their head as an option to remove the insects.

 Pratt stressed that lice only live on people’s scalps and they will not move unless there is another scalp right next to it.

 "Most people think that [lice] are in the house so it’s very time consuming and stressful for the parents,” she said.  “In fact they’re not in your house or on your clothes.  You don’t have to vacuum, you don’t have to do laundry.  That’s all a huge waste of time.”

 If your child has head lice you can contact Pratt and NitWits LLC in Cambridge at (617) 816-9487.  You should also see a school nurse before returning to school.