Kosciusko County officials are asking parents for help with a perennial problem that's even worse this year: head lice.

"We've never gotten so many phone calls - we need help," said county health nurse Deborah Frank.

Frank said lice are found occasionally at the high school level, but are "really bad" in elementaries and day care centers.

Because of the contagious nature of this health problem, Frank suggests that parents conduct weekly head checks from August to November, which is considered the lice season.

If lice are found, don't be embarrassed: nearly three million Americans get head lice each year. "It's not a sin to have them, but it is a sin to keep them," Frank said.

The first step is to remove the lice from the child's head. Medications are available at pharmacies and department stores. Shampoo the child's head thoroughly; a second shampoo may be necessary a week to 10 days after the eggs hatch, Frank said.

Next, the nits must be removed from the child's hair. This process is time consuming because the nits are attached to individual strands of hair and must be removed one by one. Most lice medications come with fine-tooth combs to aid in this process; parents may also slide the nits off with a fingernail, Frank said.

Finally, it is important to thoroughly clean a child's surroundings or he may become reinfected. This is where people mess up, Frank said; they use a dirty comb on clean hair or allow the child to sleep in a bed with sheets that haven't been changed.

Parents should:

• Carefully clean clothing, sheets, blankets, pillowcases and other personal items. Wash them in very hot water and leave them in a dryer at a very hot setting at least 20 minutes. Dry clean items that cannot be washed. Items that cannot be cleaned, such as stuffed animals, should be placed in sealed plastic bags for 14 days to kill the cycle of lice.

• Vacuum carpets, upholstery and mattresses thoroughly.

• Clean combs and brushes in hot water.

Schools occasionally check young children for lice; a child who has lice will be sent home and will not be allowed to return until the lice are gone. If your child is sent home from school, don't panic, just follow the above steps, and do it quickly. "I've been called in on cases where a kid misses three weeks of school because no one takes care of it," Frank said. "Think how embarrassing it is for that child."

Lice appear to like hair whether dirty or clean, long or short. Therefore, avoiding contact with infested human hair may be a key in keeping children from getting lice.

Parents should try to:

• Discourage sharing of hair brushes, combs, hats, headphones and other items that come in contact with hair.

• Encourage children not to keep things in anyone else's locker at school.

• Keep children in their own beds at home. Studies show that sharing beds and personal articles increases the risk of infestation. [[In-content Ad]]