LICE: NO EPIDEMIC AT HIGH SCHOOL

Rumors circulating in Cape Girardeau earlier this week about a head lice epidemic at the high school have proved false, officials at Cape Central said Wednesday.

Reports had put the number of head lice victims at over 100, with stories of additional students waiting in long lines at the nurse's office to be checked out.

While some students have been sent home with head lice, the rumors and reports have been exaggerations and the problem is not widespread, Cape Central principal Randy Fidler.

As of Wednesday morning, 16 students were sent home and their parents notified of head lice. The 16 were a group of friends who had close connect with one another and who may have shared hair brushes, Fidler said.

The number of students did not constitute an epidemic, Fidler said, but it was something to be concerned about. Additional nurses were brought in Wednesday morning to check students, identify those who have head lice and bring any potential problem under control.

Vicky McDowell, R.N., of the Cape Girardeau County Public Health Center, said that the health center had sent two nurses to the school Wednesday to help examine students. But, she added, there were no signs of widespread infestation.

During the week of Nov. 17 - 23, only five cases of head lice were reported in the county. That number does not include the 16 sent home from the high school this week, Fidler said.

One of the highest numbers of reported cases recently came during the week of Oct. 6 - 12 when 108 cases were reported.

McDowell, who is the communicable disease coordinator of the health center, added that it is difficult to get an accurate number of cases of head lice in the county because it is not a reported disease like hepatitis. Health department figures are based on surveys taken on Mondays at various schools, day care centers and pediatrician offices throughout the county.

McDowell also said that it is unusual to see cases of head lice at the high school. The outbreaks are more typical at the primary grades where children are more likely to play closely together, work nearer to one another, hug more often and share head gear, hats and coats, she said.

The number of cases seems to rise during the winter, she said, because people wear more outerwear, such as coats and hats. The only way that parents can help prevent their children from getting lice is to tell their children not to share hats, coats, hairbrushes and combs.

"Some people think lice can jump from one person to another. They cannot. But they can move from one to another when items are shared," she said.

Treatment of head lice requires, first of all, the use of a chemical preparation to kill the lice. The chemical, which comes as a shampoo or cream rinse. may be purchased at a pharmacy either over the counter or as a prescription. The advantage of the prescription is that it is a little stronger, but the over-the-counter is also effective, McDowell said.

She added that in order for the treatment to be effective, the entire family needs to be treated, even if some members have shown no signs of having head lice.