Myth buster
The truth about head lice
- Head lice can be found on clean or dirty hair, they have no preference!
- Head lice cannot jump, swim or fly. They walk from one head to another by close, prolonged head contact.
- It’s not only children that catch head lice. Anyone can catch head lice, including Mum, Dad or Gran!
- Itching is not always a symptom of head lice. Only 30% of people with head lice will have an itchy head.
- You cannot catch head lice from pets; they can only live on human heads.
- It’s not only people with long hair that can catch head lice, short hair provides no protection.
- If your child has head lice, you should inform the school and any other children that your child may have come into contact with. This process is known as ‘contact tracing’.
*images magnified and not to scale