Since the Hand, Foot, and Mouth epidemic, lice is the second major outbreak which has struck EMU in this first semester. Before Thanksgiving break, over 30 cases of lice were diagnosed by the Health Center.

While the lice, which had previously hoped to find a new host by skulking on couches over the break, have died, that does not mean that lice are not still hanging around campus. Students who have not been checked or have not been treating their lice correctly still have lice that can be transmitted.

Prevention is key to ensure that students are not dealing with finals and lice at the same time. That organic chemistry exam is going to be that much worse with lice falling onto the paper every other question.

For personal prevention, this would entail avoiding sharing any clothes, hair bands, or brushes, and keeping away from couches or seats which have high traffic throughout the day. Lice are mainly spread through head-to-head contact, but these other methods of transmission suit lice just fine as well.

There are several ways to treat lice once they have taken up residence.

Nit Combs

Nit combs have fine enough metal teeth that they are able to comb out lice and nits ­— eggs — which are laid at the root of hair. Don’t nip over to a friends house to borrow their nit comb. Each person needs to have their own nit comb. Combing with nit combs is tedious, but it ensures that eggs and and dead lice from chemical treatments are combed out. This also ensures that eggs are not left in the hair to hatch and further their species’ goal of establishing a small nation of every scalp in the world.

Chemical Treatment

Chemical treatments in the form of specific shampoos are also effective in eradicating the lice. Make sure to follow the instructions. Different treatments can have different directions to ensure maximum death to lice. Do not use conditioner before or after hair treatments. In addition, do not re-wash hair 1-2 days after removing lice medicine from the scalp. This would reduce the effectiveness of the medication.

Examples of these medications would be Nix or the Nuvo Method for Lice with Cetaphil Cleanser.

The Nuvo Method requires buying Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser and covering the scalp in a criss-cross manor. After making sure the entire head is covered with the lotion, use a hair dryer to dry the lotion. The lotion dries onto the lice and plugs their breathing holes.

After drying, leave the lotion on for at least eight hours; overnight would be best.

Heat

Put clothing or bedding into the dryer on high heat to kill any lice that might have dropped over the course of the day or night.

No one on campus wants to have lice. Get checked by EMU’s Health Services in University Commons and make sure that adequate treatment is being done. For more information, contact Health Services.