Moral of the story: be sure to take extra precautions before sending your kids back to school this Fall, especially now that infected students are to remain in class. James Harden out with hand strain amid Nets trade rumors. If all else fails, Gehris recommends seeing your pediatrician for a prescription that lice haven't yet outgrown. What parents need to remember, though, is to reapply five to seven days later to prevent eggs from rehatching. She said she still believes OTC treatments 'work much of the time,' despite it being less potent now. Gehris told Today there's no evidence that the DIY solutions school nurses have long recommended are working. Robin Gehris, the common 'olive oil, mayonnaise, Vaseline' home remedy is not recommended. How do we treat the schoolyard bug? According to pediatric dermatologist Dr. Since they cannot hop or fly, they simply crawl around the human head. What they do is that they leave or attach their eggs on the lower end of their hair shaft. Adult head lice grow to an average of 2-3 mm in length and they work by infesting the head and the neck. Although that doesn't necessarily mean that the parasites can't die, a stronger dose will be necessary.Īt the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society, Yoon reported that among the 109 lice samples collected, a shocking 104 were found to be highly resistant. They are parasitic to humans and humans are the only known hosts of head lice. The research team at Southern Illinois University discovered this stubborn strain, which has spread to at least 25 states.Īccording to assistant professor Kyong Yoon, lice have mutated in a way that make them less responsive to pyrethroids in OTC medications. Now, however, lice and other pests are growing increasingly resistant to the active chemical in most over-the-counter medicines. Kids and parents have long been familiar with the pains of head lice, but by and large, it's known to be a fairly easy-to-treat annoyance.

Super strain head lice