The common ailment is also leading to children taking days off school - with one in five parents having kept their kids at home because of infections. This means the average child has not attended school for at least one day per term due to head lice.
Children are reporting name calling and parents of those who are infected admit it 's difficult for their kids to forge friendships as other kids don 't want to sit next to them in class whilst they have a 'flare-up '. The survey revealed that almost three quarters of children in the UK have had head lice with a quarter having had more than five infections.
An embarrassed 12 per cent of mums have lied to other parents about their kids having head lice, eight per cent kept family members in the dark and 13 per cent have denied the fact their child has lice to the school or teacher. Over two thirds of parents seek help from their Pharmacy, but 12 per cent were so concerned with the problem they took their child to the GP. And the average parent spends about £10 a year to cure their kids from the infection.
Forty-three per cent of parents didn 't have a clue what the difference was between head lice (the parasite) and nits (the empty eggs shell), leading to problems for parents detecting and treating head lice correctly. Almost sixty per cent of adults were in agreement that head lice outbreaks are becoming more frequent - with two-thirds of people believing that girls are more prone to the problem than boys.
Weird remedies parents have used to try and rid their kids of head lice include washing their hair in vinegar, beer, honey and mayonnaise.
Caroline Green, brand manager for Full Marks at SSL International, said: "Head lice outbreaks are an everyday occurrence, which affect millions of children in this country. There is no need for children to take time off school and it 's extremely disconcerting that so many children are getting bullied as a result of infections, which can so easily be treated. Head lice can affect anyone at anytime in their life, and despite popular belief are attracted to both clean and dirty hair. With the right treatment and application, head lice can easily be eradicated."
Pharmacist and mother of two, Louise Cruickshanks, added: "Head lice outbreaks are very common where children closely interact such as school and pre-school, meaning that the lice can easily spread through head to head contact.
"Common reasons for failure to treat head lice is misdiagnosis, or if parents have not used the product purchased correctly. It is also common to be re-infected if in close contact with someone else who still has a head lice infection. Head lice infections cannot be prevented due to how children interact on a daily basis, there should certainly not be cause for embarrassment. Parental discussion and acknowledgement play a key part in removing the stigma of head lice infections in this country.
"I have had a personal experience of head lice infection with my two children. Correct usage of effective products, quickly and easily treated the infection for both my children, eliminating both the head lice and their eggs.
"If parents are in any doubt about the effective use of head lice treatments, they should get advice from their pharmacist, as only correct use will result in effective treatment."
 Full Marks is Mum 's No.1 choice for head lice treatment
Full Marks Solution is clinically proven, quick and easy 10 minute application and does not contain pesticides. It is suitable for asthmatics, people with sensitive skin and can be used from two years of age.
In a small clinical trial, Full Marks was shown to be 93 per cent effective at clearing patients of head louse infection. Competitors individual clinical trial results indicate Hedrin only 75% effective, and bug busting shown to be only 53% effective.4
For more information on head lice and SSL 's range of head lice products, including Full Marks, visit www.headlice.co.uk |
