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WHAT ARE HEAD LICE?
Lice are small, wingless, beige-white insects about the size of a sesame seed when fully grown.

HOW LONG DO HEAD LICE LIVE?
Lice live for about 25 -35 days on a human, but they rarely live more than 48 hours off the human body.

CAN HEAD LICE JUMP OR FLY?
No, head lice cannot hop, skip, jump or fly, though you might think differently.

DO HEAD LICE SPREAD DISEASES?
Head lice are not known to transmit any disease agents. However, secondary infections may result if the skin is broken by repeated scratching, but this is extremely uncommon.

WHAT ARE "NITS"?
Nits are the louse eggs. They are small (about the size of a pin head), white to cream in colour and they look like a tiny teardrop.

WHERE ARE NITS FOUND?
Head lice glue their eggs to the base of the hair shaft, frequently behind the ears or on the nape of the neck. Nits found further than about 1 cm down the hair shaft will be empty shells and only need to be removed for cosmetic reasons.

HOW MANY EGGS DOES A FEMALE HEAD LOUSE LAY?
A female head louse starts laying eggs after about 17 days, then it produces about four to six eggs per day for about 18 days until it dies. So every female louse can lay about 150 eggs. If you have 50 female lice in your hair, that’s a possible 7500 in 3 weeks time.

HOW DOES SOMEONE GET HEAD LICE?
Lice are transmitted by close head to head contact with an infested person. This is why they are so common in primary school children.

CAN HEAD LICE SURVIVE ON PETS?
No, head lice can only live on humans, and they can't be transmitted to or from pets. i.e., they must feed on humans in order to survive.

HOW MANY HEAD LICE ARE USUALLY FOUND ON AN INFESTED PERSON?
Typically, 10-15 head lice are found, depending on how quickly the infestation is discovered and dealt with.

WHO IS MOST LIKELY TO GET HEAD LICE?
Anyone can get headlice. Children, particularly those of primary school age, are most likely to suffer, due to close contact with their school friends. Unfortunately they are easily passed on to mums too. Lice live happily in clean or dirty hair.