While inconvenient, head lice cause no medical harm and can be effectively treated.
Head lice are not a health hazard or a sign of poor hygiene and, in contrast to body lice, are not responsible for the spread of any disease.
Because head lice are usually transmitted by head?to?head contact, parents should carefully check a child’s head before and after attending a sleepover or camp where children share sleeping quarters.
Dr. Cindy Devore discusses head lice, its treatments and symptoms.
Selected Podcast
AAP's Updated Head Lice Policy
Featuring:
Dr. Cindy Devore is a pediatrician and a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), immediate past chair of the Council on School Health of the AAP, and chair of that same committee for the NYS AAP District II. She specializes in school health, serving as a Consultant to the NYS Education Department, and, for the past 30 years, has served as medical director for a number of school districts in upstate NY. She is one of the lead authors on the AAP’s latest Clinical Report on Head Lice.
Cindy Devore, MD
Dr. Cindy Devore is a pediatrician and a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), immediate past chair of the Council on School Health of the AAP, and chair of that same committee for the NYS AAP District II. She specializes in school health, serving as a Consultant to the NYS Education Department, and, for the past 30 years, has served as medical director for a number of school districts in upstate NY. She is one of the lead authors on the AAP’s latest Clinical Report on Head Lice.