Head lice cases in Calgary region creeping way up, specialist says
More cases of lice in children have been creating headaches for parents around Calgary and a boutique head lice company hasn't been able to keep up with demand.
"They're very stubborn little things," said Pamela Deurbrouck, director of Panda Child Development Centre.
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Each year she sees at least one child come through the daycare with head lice and just a few weeks ago the pests were found in a little girl's hair.
"We're used to it, of course she had to go home and had to go have the treatment, we also put a notice up for the parents so they can make sure their children's heads are fine," said Deurbrouck.
She said staff were able to deal with it early and avoided the bug spreading to other children.
But there's growing concern that lice is becoming a larger problem around Calgary.
"It's been crazy," said Trina Manca, a technician with Lice Squad, a boutique mobile lice treatment company.
Manca makes house calls all over southern and central Alberta and said last summer she was treating an average of four clients a week, but lately has been treating as many as four clients per day.
She said the bugs can spread easily through schools because most districts don't require a child to stay home if they catch lice.
"They're considered a communicable parasite not a communicable disease, so they are letting kids back into the school with it."
She said it's up to educators and healthcare providers to do a better job pointing out signs of lice — but the lice themselves are becoming harder to manage.
"They're evolving, they are developing into something that's harder to kill and easier to catch," said Manca.
Parents will have the best chance of getting rid of lice if they make sure to properly comb out all the nits in addition to seeking treatments, she said.
Regularly cleaning clothing, sheets and pillows are also key, as lice can live in fabrics for up to 48 hours.
