Lice infestations are on the rise in Travis and Williamson Counties. Hero Lice Clinics was featured on CBS Austin News on Wednesday, August 22nd, at 10 PM. Sophia Stamas interviewed several moms throughout Hero’s lice treatment service area as well as pediatrician Dr. Kelly Thorstad. Sophia reported that differing local school lice policies, in combination with over-the-counter treatment resistant super lice were causing significant problems in trying to get rid of it.
Article copied in its entirety with permission from CBS Austin News.
AUSTIN, Texas — School is back, and so is the threat of lice infestations, but recommendations in recent years have school districts changing their policies. Now some parents say lice infestations just keep coming back.
One Leander ISD mom, who wants to remain anonymous as her kids head back to school for a new school year, says getting rid of lice is no easy task.
“It can take you two days. I’m not kidding,” she said,
The mother of two is no stranger to fighting lice, especially after this past year. She says her daughters had to be treated for lice four times in last school year alone,
Since she spends about $100 per kid, each time she takes them to a lice clinic, that adds up pretty fast.
In 2015, the American Academy of Pediatrics, (AAP), recommended that schools stop sending kids with lice home from school.
And now school policies vary from district to district.
According to policies published online, Austin, Dripping Springs and Manor ISD’s strictly keep kids in school.
We found only one Central Texas district, Taylor, has an automatic “send home” policy.
Everyone else is somewhere in the middle. Elgin and Round Rock ISD’s send kids home if they have “live” lice.
And the majority of local school districts keep kids in class with strict policies to notify parents, who can choose to pick the child up or not.
Others keep kids in school, but don’t let them return until a nurse confirms they’ve been treated.
“They should immediately be sent home, so that it doesn’t spread,” said the anonymous mother we spoke with.
She’s already dealing with another case and showed us what she does to prevent infestations. She stores hairbrushes and combs in the freezer, and makes sure her daughters thoroughly wash their hair each day.
If that doesn’t work, and they do get lice, she says washing things like pillows, blankets and toys can take about 48 hours.
”It can take a while to make sure you get everything, everything vacuumed, everything washed.”
Anything that can’t be thrown in the washer gets bagged up for two days, and at home treatments take hours too, so she takes her kids to a local lice clinic.
Pediatricians, like Dr. Kelly Thorstad with St David’s Children’s and Hospital Lone Star Pediatrics also get lots of calls.
”I think the new policy is the correct policy to have,” Dr. Thorstad says. “It’s not harmful. They don’t carry any other diseases. It’s just a nuisance.”
It’s a nuisance you can try to prevent.
“It’s a good practice to not share combs, brushes, and hats with other people. You’re more likely to get lice infestations through direct, head-to-head contact,” said Dr Thorstad.
That means trends like taking selfies and sharing headphones are making matters worse.
Just another reason the Leander ISD mom we interviewed says she checks her daughters once a month.
”If they’re itchy at all, I get worried, and I’m like, ‘Is it dandruff or is this another case of lice. I’m not looking forward to this.’”
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