from True Love
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My daughter was sent home from school with lice. What should I do? Should I treat my younger children too?

"Although lice aren't dangerous, they are contagious and can just be downright annoying," says children's GP Dr Lauren Sternberg of The Health Team practice in Cape Town. "If one child is affected, it's likely that other family members are too, so it's a good idea to check the whole family."

She says the best form of treatment in children over two years is using a shampoo with gamma benzene hexachloride such as Gambex or Quellada. "These lice treatments kill the lice and the nits (eggs) but it may still take a few days for the itching to stop. Follow the directions on the product label to ensure the treatment works properly. You may need to repeat the treatment within seven to ten days to ensure that all the nits have been killed and to avoid any risk of reinfestation."

Treating children under the age of two requires a different approach. "These children should not use a medicated lice shampoo," says Dr Sternberg. "You'll need to remove the lice by hand. It's a good idea to wet the child's hair first because this temporarily immobilises the lice and they become easier to comb out." She also advises using a finetooth comb on your child's hair after regular shampooing every few days for two weeks.

What about bedding and clothes – how extreme should I be?

"Lice don't survive long once they fall off a person, so there's no point spending a lot of time and money trying to rid the whole house of lice," says Dr Sternberg.

However, she recommends: