CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Some news reports state the CDC has changed its guidelines on how it recommends schools treat lice.
On its website, the CDC reiterates that its guidance has not changed but confirms it doesn’t recommend sending students home early from school. They can then return as long as they start treatment. That protocol is different from years ago when kids were sent home from school once a nurse made the discovery.
“We’re very busy at this point in time, and one of the busiest years that we’ve had,” said Gil Ferrell, who co-owns Lice Clinics in Matthews with his wife. Business is booming for them. In July, they saw double the number of patients they typically see at about 170.
Lice is a critter that likes everybody — clean heads and dirty heads. Ferrell says the CDC’s guidance on how to treat the scalp invasion will only send him more customers.
“Well, from a business perspective, I would say hey, it’s going to spread and it’s going to keep us busy,” Ferrell said. “That’s job security. On the other hand, if I had a child, I wouldn’t like it.”
While the CDC states it hasn’t changed its guidance, Ferrell says their recommendation will only exacerbate the spread.
“They wait for that opportunity, and they’ve got those little claws, and they just grab right onto your hair, and it only takes one,” Ferrell said.
Now, if your head is feeling a little itchy at this point, you’re not the only one.
“That is called a mental itch,” Ferrell explained.
Ferrell says over-the-counter treatments often time kill the bugs that are alive, but don’t get rid of the unhatched eggs. The medical equipment he uses acts as a dehydrator for both. He says parents can help prevent the spread by using tea tree oil or a deterrent spray. He also recommends the schools revisit their policies surrounding lice contraction.
“Let the children go home and be treated because it’s just going to spread as long as they’re sitting there,” Ferrell said.
