HOW DO WE ACTUALLY GET LICE?

Head lice move by crawling and contrary to folk knowledge they cannot hop or fly. Although head lice are spread mostly by direct head-to-head contact with an infested person, the transmission may also be indirect, through clothing articles, hats, the shared use of hair brushes, swimming pools, through the bedding and even stuffed animals and furniture. 

In most of the cases the infestation becomes evident by the itching caused both; the bite of lice on the skin and the irritating allergic reaction caused by the deposition of saliva on the scalp. Unfortunately, when the symptoms occur, the infestation is already old and ongoing.  Many parents overlook this problem or are not sufficiently informed. Although the infestation is characterized by a low degree of morbidity, this condition is considered socially inappropriate and represents an important problem from the standpoint of social health. Frequently, lice infestation appears among children in nursery and primary schools.  Although accurate data on how many people in the United States get head lice each year is not available, it is estimated that 6 million to 12 million infestations occur each year in the United States among children 3 to 11 years of age.