Welcome to the Stoddard County Public Health Center Website!
Department Pages

Home

Services Available
Birth & Death Records
Board of Trustees
WIC
Family Planning
Environmental
Immunizations
Health Education
Head Lice
Pictures
Links

COUNTY DIRECTORY
 

Address:
P.O. Box 277

1001 North Highway 25

Bloomfield, MO 63825

 

Telephone: 573-568-4593
Toll-Free: 800-303-4593
FAX:
573-568-4736

Head Lice

 

Head lice checks are available for all the residents of the county.  Each individual, to be checked, is required to fill out the necessary paperwork before examination.  There is no fee for checking for head lice. 

 

What are head lice?
The head louse, or Pediculus humanus capitis (peh-DICK-you-lus HUE-man-us CAP-ih-TUS), is a parasitic insect that can be found on the head, eyebrows, and eyelashes of people. Head lice feed on human blood several time a day and live close to the human scalp. Head lice are not known to spread disease.
 

Who is at risk for getting head lice?
Head lice are found worldwide. In the United States, infestation with head lice is most common among preschool children attending child care, elementary school children, and the household members of infested children. Although reliable data on how many people in the United States get head lice each year are not available, an estimated 6 million to 12 million infestations occur each year in the United States among children 3 to 11 years of age. In the United States, infestation with head lice is much less common among African-Americans than among persons of other races, possibly because the claws of the of the head louse found most frequently in the United States are better adapted for grasping the shape and width of the hair shaft of other races.

Head lice move by crawling; they cannot hop or fly. Head lice are spread by direct contact with the hair of an infested person. Anyone who comes in head-to-head contact with someone who already has head lice is at greatest risk. Spread by contact with clothing (such as hats, scarves, coats) or other personal items (such as combs, brushes, or towels) used by an infested person is uncommon. Personal hygiene or cleanliness in the home or school has nothing to do with getting head lice.
 

http://www.cdc.gov/lice/head/

 

http://www.cdc.gov/lice/head/treatment.html


 

An Equal Opportunity Employer
Services Provided On A Nondiscriminatory Basis