City Health Care Partnership CIC and NHS Hull Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) have joined forces in the fight against head lice. Following a question from a local MP about treating the pesky parasites, it was decided to give every primary school child in the city a free comb together with instructions on how to use it.
Chief Officer for NHS Hull CCG Emma Latimer said, “As health leaders in Hull, we want to support families to ensure children grow up to have happy, healthy lives, and this is one way to help in the fight against head lice. During November 2019 every primary school child in Hull will be given a free head lice comb to take home in a clear sealed package, with information on how to use it.”
The best way to get rid of head lice is to comb them out of wet hair using conditioner. Medicated lotions are not particularly effective and can irritate children’s sensitive skin; they can also be expensive. Regular combing removes the lice and eggs (nits) and is easy and cost-effective.
CHCP’s group chief executive Andrew Burnell was happy to support the idea: “Our school nurses and health visitors are often asked about how to treat head lice and this is a great way to help families to keep them at bay. Our colleagues in schools will be distributing the combs and instructions over the next few weeks.”
Head lice are extremely common in young children and their families. They are not fussy about whether hair is clean or dirty and are picked up by head-to-head contact. There is more information about head lice and how to treat them on NHS UK www.nhs.uk/conditions/head-lice-and-nits/.
