for your health head scratcher what to do when your child is diagnosed with head lice by joelle klein disinfecting details ew things fill parents with dread more than learning that their child has been exposed to head lice at school or in the neighbor- you've got this you may have heard that lice have grown so strong and resistant to treat- ment that they are now dubbed “super lice.” it is true that in many communities mutated so they are no longer easily snuffed out by over-the-counter go-to's and may require a prescription remedy don't fear these super critters assistant professor of pediatrics and lurie children's hospital of chicago of an over-the-counter lice treatment that most of the instances of resistant lice are because people didn't follow the directions or because they don't properly decontaminate the environment and experience reinfection," she says the first thing to do after you learn of the exposure is to sit your child down and go through their hair with a fine-toothed that you can see with the naked eye,” says kenner-bell ish oval eggs that are fixed to the hair are detected on one family member check the rest if you do detect an infestation purchase rid or nix or call your doctor atrician may recommend a prescription medicine such as ovide or sklice if super lice are known to be in the community to be repeated after seven to 10 days because they kill live lice and not nits if you use rid or nix and still see live bugs in your child's hair a few days after cian for prescription medication lotions or shampoos usually come with a louse comb and directions to thor- oughly comb out the nits after treatment rics and dermatology at johns hopkins to commit to using two treatments because some of those nits are going to hatch," he counsels as important as carefully following the directions for the lice treatment you choose is decontaminating appropriate household items to prevent reinfection • wash your washable household items such as sheets and towels in hot water and dry on hot heat • stuff items you can't throw in a machine or don't and leave it outside for two weeks soak combs and brushes in hot water for warm scalp and will die within a week without one.-jk costco connection joelle klein is a denver-based health writer prescription lice medications are available at your local costco pharmacy
