Head lice

By: Karyn Hearn | Posted: Wednesday June 30, 2021

Head lice are very common. Head lice are a nuisance but are not a risk to public health. Head lice are small insects that lay their eggs (nits) on strands of hair.

What are head lice?

Head lice are small flat insects, about 2–3 mm long. They live on the scalp (the skin on a person’s head where the hair grows from). Head lice lay their eggs (nits) on strands of hair.

Anyone can get head lice – it doesn’t matter how clean or dirty a person’s hair is. Head lice spread by crawling from one person’s hair to another’s – usually between people who are in close contact, such as family or school classmates.

Head lice:

cannot jump, fly or swim
do not carry disease
stay on the scalp after swimming or bathing/showering.

What do head lice look like?

Insects

Head lice can be white, brown or dark grey. They are usually in the hair at the back of the neck or behind the ears.

Eggs (nits)

Female head lice lay about 7–10 eggs each night. The eggs are small and hard (like a grain of salt) and are normally pale grey in colour. Eggs are laid close to the scalp and are firmly glued to strands of hair. After hatching, the empty egg cases are white.

Eggs hatch in 9 days, and head lice live for 40 days.

Time off from kura or school

A child with live lice should stay away from kura or school until treatment has started.