Microsoft word - elternbrief kopfläuse englisch.doc

Dear Parents,
in the group/grade attended by your child head lice have been detected. Children
affected will remain excluded from attending the institution until they represent no
more danger of further circulation.
Affection with head lice, however, has got nothing to do with wanting hygiene.
Rather, it is caused by interpersonal contacts, mainly from “hair to hair“, especially in
common institutions for children and adolescents.
Examination of the Hair for Head Lice
Please examine your child’s haired head for lice and their eggs (nits).
• To do so, apply hair conditioner to the well wetted hair and disentangle it using • Comb through the hair strand after strand from hair line to the hair tips using a • Each time after combing through a strand of hair, repeatedly wipe off the comb on a light piece of cloth or a piece of kitchen paper until no more lice or nits can be seen on it. Then move on to the next strand of hair. • Once you have finished combing through the complete hair, thoroughly rinse off the remaining conditioner and leave the hair dripping wet. Disentangle the hair using a normal comb. • If lice or nits are found, please also examine all other family members and
Nits adhere in an angulate manner to one side of the hair; they are of a whitish to
brownish colour and may be detected especially well behind the ears and in the
areas of the temples and the nape of the neck. They are about the size of a grain of
sand and are just about visible to the naked eye.
Nits are easily mistaken for dandruff. However, dandruff does not adhere to the hair
as nits do but may be taken off easily; moreover, it is off an irregular shape. If you
feel unsure, please make use of a magnifying glass.
Lice are seen in rare cases only. They shy away from the light and will disappear in
the dark immediately. Fully grown lice have about the size of a sesame seed.


Treatment for Head Lice
If you found lice or nits in the course of the hair examination, you have to treat the
head lice affection applying a licensed lice agent. Afterwards, you have to comb
through the hair in wet state, employing a conditioner and lice comb, according to the
following instructions:
Day 1:
• Please carefully study the package insert of your lice agent and apply the lice agent strictly in accordance with its directions for use (licensed active ingredients in lice agents are Permethrin, Pyrethrum and Allethrin). Possible errors in the course of treatment which might allow the survival of lice and nits are: - the residence times are too short - the agent is applied too sparingly - the agent is not evenly distributed - the agent is diluted too much due to dripping wet hair - the necessary repetition of treatment is not performed. • Rinse out the hair with warm water at the end of the necessary residence • Generously apply a customary conditioner to the well wetted hair. Thoroughly comb through the hair strand after strand from hair line to the hair tips employing a lice comb. Wipe off the comb on a piece of cloth or a piece of kitchen paper. Day 5:
Repeat the procedure employing lice comb and conditioner as described to
remove newly hatched lice before they reach their stage of mobility. Day 9: Treatment with lice agent and “wet combing through“ employing lice comb
and hair conditioner as described for day 1 in order to kill lately hatched lice.
Day 13: Renewed control examination with hair conditioner according to day 5.
Day 17: Last control employing lice comb and hair conditioner according to day 5.

Accompanying Measures
• Thoroughly clean combs and hair brushes in hot soapy water (a brush meant for hand wash purposes serves this task best). • Change towels, underwear and bedclothes as well as pyjamas and wash them at a temperature no lower than 60 degrees Celsius. • Wash caps, scarves, blankets, pillows and cuddly toys at a temperature of 60 degrees Celsius or keep them for three days in a well sealed plastic bag or keep them for two days at a temperature of less than -10 degrees Celsius (in order to kill the nits, you need to keep the objects mentioned in a plastic bag for two weeks). • Please examine all family members and treat them, if need be.
• Do not use disinfectants or insecticides.
Please fill in and sign the parents’ confirmation attached and present it to your common institution for re-admittance. If you have any further questions, we will be glad to assist you. Please get in touch with us under tel. no. 06151/ 3309-0. Yours sincerely, Your Health Authorities

Source: http://www.gesundheitsamt-dadi.de/fileadmin/downloads/pdf/Elternbrief_Kopfl%C3%A4use_Englisch.pdf