For years lice in school has been a problem, mostly because of the way it spreads and the fact that it can easily get out of control if an outbreak is not handled properly. It is spread mostly through physical person-to-person contact and can turn into a big problem if it is not dealt with immediately. The spreading of lice can be stopped by avoiding direct contact with any personal items belonging to the person who has it, such as stuffed animals, sheets, blankets, pillows, clothes, etc.

Lice breakouts occur in schools throughout the country each year, most of which are not serious. However they can escalate to the point where almost every student in the school needs to be checked and treated for lice. Some schools that learn of an outbreak make check-ups mandatory to prevent the spread of lice. This is one of the best ways to go about avoiding a major school-wide epidemic. When lice are caught early before they get a chance to lay eggs, they are not a serious problem and can be treated with special shampoo. All of the clothes and bedding materials belonging to the person must be washed thoroughly so as to avoid another infestation.

Usually lice can spread through a school rather quickly when one child comes in with it. Since young children tend to play very physically, the lice can easily travel from one student to another and so on. Once this happens it doesn’t take long for the rest of the school to become infested with lice. They live in the hair and scalp and studies have shown that children are more prone to lice than most adults, which is why elementary schools usually have such problems with it.

Girls tend to get lice more than boys. Pre-schoolers and elementary students are usually the victims of lice as well as whole families because of the physical contact that occurs on a daily basis. Sometimes a school can be completely unaware of a lice problem until a parent notices that their child is itching their head more so than usual. At this point parent(s) usually alert the school to the problem. Poor grooming and hygiene can explain the presence of lice, although anyone is at risk for getting them. School-wide outbreaks of lice happen all around the world each year and they can spread rather quickly if the problem is not contained soon after it is discovered.