Head Lice: Myths and Reality

With children in school and the confines of winter approaching, the subject of head lice is once again on the minds of many parents. Maybe that’s why October has been designated as National Head Lice Awareness month.

To help parents cope with the anxiety, and to mark the special month, the makers of Licefreee Spray have released some interesting louse facts.

The company – which makes a popular non-toxic head lice treatment – said that many myths persists about a head lice. These myths describe a creature with almost supernatural abilities.

Licefreee Spray, citing data from a just released Tec Labs/Qualtrics poll of 530 mothers — has identified the four head lice myths that definitely need busted:

“Myth: An adult louse can lay up to 100 eggs per day. 91% incorrectly believed that statement to be true. Actually, an adult female louse can only lay between five and 10 eggs per day. But, really, isn’t one egg too many?

Myth: Lice can fly from head to head. 43% thought that horrifying statement was true. Forget about helicopter parents, how about helicopter lice?

Myth: You can get head lice from animals. 49% believed they could do little to avoid getting lice from animals. Thankfully, you don’t have to be afraid to cuddle with Cuddly. Pets don’t carry the pesky varmints.

Myth: Lice can jump from furniture to a person’s scalp. 70% of mothers said it was true when asked this question, even though the answer is false. In a perfect world, lice would jump from a scalp to a garbage disposal.

The good news is that 97% of mothers knew that lice can be spread from a helmet or a hat, and 90% understood, correctly, that this statement was untrue; “If you have head lice, you must cut your hair.”

That should help dispel the myths, and give parents confidence that they can deal with the odd outbreak of head lice. Lice are lousy, indeed, but they are not super-bugs.