Head Lice (Pediculosis Capitis):
A parent's guide to condition and treatment information

Head lice (pediculosis capitis) is a very common, highly contagious condition that often occurs in nurseries, day care centers, and schools. It is caused by infestation with the human head louse, Pediculus humanus capitis, and it can be very itchy.

Lice are very small insects that feed on human blood. In head lice, the female louse attaches her eggs to the base of hair shafts. The eggs (nits) hatch 8–10 days later. While the adult louse cannot survive more than 2 days off of the human head, a nit can stay alive for up to a month off the body (on clothes, hairbrushes, or carpets, for example). Lice can spread from child to child by close personal contact and by sharing belongings.