Campaign for prevention and control of head lice

The National Association of School Nurses (NASN) announced today the kickoff of S.C.R.A.T.C.H. (School and Community Resources to Avoid and Take Control of Head Lice), a campaign to educate school nurses, students, parents and the general public about the prevention and control of head lice. NASN has teamed up with Sciele Pharma, Inc., a Shionogi company, on the multi-faceted program, which is being launched as children throughout the U.S. head back to school, an environment where head lice is most prevalent.

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Each year approximately six to 12 million children between 3 and 12 years of age are infested with head lice(1,4). ,About one in every 100 U.S. elementary school children will be infested with head lice(5).

"As the onsite health professionals in schools, school nurses are in an excellent position to provide education to students, parents, their school colleagues and the community about head lice, a challenging and often misunderstood medical condition that causes anxiety among those affected," said Sandra Delack, RN, MEd, NCSN, NASN President. "This program will provide the facts about the causes, prevention and management of head lice, and hopefully serve to dispel the myths and stigmas regarding lice infestation."

Components of the S.C.R.A.T.C.H. program include such Web-based educational resources as a fact sheet on head lice for school nurses and other school professionals; a slide kit on head lice prevention and management for school nurse presentations to school and community groups; and a "Dear Parent" letter and fact sheet with "frequently asked questions" for parents on this topic.

NASN will promote the S.C.R.A.T.C.H. program among its 14,000 members to reach schools, students and their parents and guardians around the country. For more information on the program, visit www.nasn.org.