New guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) say children should not stay home from school just because they have head lice.
The guidelines set to be released in the May 2015 issue of Pediatrics state “head lice is a nuisance, not a serious disease or a sign of poor hygiene.”
According to AAP, most cases of lice are not contracted at school.
“Pediatricians are encouraged to educated schools and communities that no-nit policies are unjust and should be abandoned,” the article states. “Children can finish the school day, be treated and return to school.”
The AAP recommends using over-the-counter medications containing 1 percent permethrin or pyrethrins for cases of active lice. Parents should follow up this treatment with nit removal and wet combing, and then reapply the treatment at day 9 and 18, if needed.
Parents only need to involve their doctor if regular methods don’t or can’t work. A doctor may prescribe spinosad or topical ivermectin. Accoding to AAP, these are new medications released since 2010, the last time lice recommendations were published.
