Siblings and Head Lice: Tips from Lice Clinics of America – Northwest

April 10 is National Siblings Day, and George Macoubray, co-owner of Lice Clinics of America – Northwest is using the day to call attention to the fact that siblings are often the channel used by head lice to spread.

“The closer in age siblings are, the more likely it is for them to spread lice to one another,” Macoubray said. “That’s because they are likely to spend more time together and share rooms, hair accessories, and clothing that might carry hair with lice.”

According to a study of Norwegian school children, an infested sibling increases the odds of a child contracting head lice by 36 percent. In some school districts, if a student is found to have head lice, any siblings at the school are also checked.

Lice spread primarily through head-to-head contact. When siblings share a bed or bedroom, and one has head lice, others are likely to get lice, too. Lice don’t fly or jump, but if a louse is on a shaft of hair that falls on a jacket or hat or hair brush, it will crawl onto the next head it can find in a matter of seconds.

“Lice can’t live anywhere but on a human head,” Macoubray said. “It is a matter of survival to get on the nearest head.”

For parents that do find head lice on one or more of their children, the Northwest clinic has a safe, fast, and guaranteed cure with the AirAllé^® medical device. AirAllé is FDA-cleared and clinically proven to kill live lice and more than 99 percent of eggs (nits) using heated air to dehydrate the bugs and eggs. Treatments take about an hour and are guaranteed to be effective.

The guarantee has one stipulation that speaks to the common occurrence of head lice among children.

“We guarantee the AirAllé treatment only when all members of the household are checked for head lice,” Macoubray said. “We can’t guarantee you will remain lice-free if we send you back to a home with an active infestation, and the only way we can know if the household is clear is if all the residents are checked for lice.” The screenings are free for family members of someone receiving treatment at the clinic.

Head lice have become more difficult to treat in recent years as so-called “super lice” have become the norm. These lice have developed a resistance to the chemical pesticides used in the most popular lice products. Research published in the Journal of Medical Entomology in 2016 found that 98 percent of lice in the United States are now immune to the pesticides that the products use.

“AirAllé kills super lice just like any other lice because it doesn’t rely on pesticides or any chemicals at all,” Macoubray said. “We also carry a complete line of nontoxic lice prevention products to keep head lice out of your hair for good.”

With 330 clinics in 35 countries, Lice Clinics of America is the world’s largest network of professional lice treatment centers. AirAllé has treated more than 600,000 cases of head lice around the world, with a success rate better than 99 percent.

Lice Clinics of America – Northwest has five locations – Bend, Portland, Clackamas, Salem, OR and Vancouver, WA. To learn more or to schedule an appointment, visit https://liceclinicsnorthwest.com, email info@liceclinicsnorthwest.com or call Portland (503) 404-0475, Clackamas (503) 714-7722, Vancouver (360) 334-6360, Salem (971) 273-5900 or Bend (541) 640-5335.