Health Tip: Check Your Child for Head Lice

Head lice are easily spread from person to person by close contact or by sharing items such as hairbrushes or towels.

The American Academy of Pediatrics explains how to check a child for head lice:

• Have your child sit down in a brightly lit room.
• Part your child's hair in the middle and begin by inspecting the scalp.
• Look for crawling, fast-moving, light-colored lice. Also look for their nits (eggs), which tend to be yellowish-brown or white in color and stick to the scalp.
• Wet your child's hair and use a fine-toothed comb to comb through and separate your child's hair into small sections. Wipe the comb on a towel between each section, and check the towel for lice and nits.