Pedemy · For parents
Head lice — notes
Note the pattern below and bring your questions and current medicines to the visit. This record does not diagnose or choose treatment.
Use these notes with your child’s clinician. This tool does not diagnose illness, prescribe treatment or confirm that home care is safe.
Emergency help now
Call local emergency services for severe breathing difficulty, blue/gray lips, collapse, a seizure with failure to recover, or a child who is very difficult to wake. Do not delay to complete this tool.
Contact a healthcare professional
Ask a clinician before treating a very young child, if the diagnosis is uncertain or if live lice remain after correctly completed treatment. Painful, spreading scalp redness, pus or fever needs medical advice. A baby younger than 3 months with a temperature of 38°C (100.4°F) or higher needs urgent medical assessment, even if they look well. Do not delay assessment to try medicine or complete a diary.
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Care reminders
- Head lice spread mainly through head-to-head contact and are not a sign of poor hygiene. Finding a live crawling louse is the best evidence of active infestation; dandruff or old nits alone can be misleading.
- Use an age-appropriate product exactly as directed and comb as advised. Repeat treatment depends on the product, not a universal date. Check household contacts. Do not use insecticide foggers, kerosene or extra doses. Children need not be sent home early solely for lice.
- Ask a clinician before treating a very young child, if the diagnosis is uncertain or if live lice remain after correctly completed treatment. Painful, spreading scalp redness, pus or fever needs medical advice.