Lice are tiny, wingless, parasitic insects that feed on your blood. This itchy infestation is easily spread - especially by school children - through close personal contact and by sharing personal belongings.

Several types of lice exist:

• Head lice. These lice develop on your scalp. They're easiest to see at the nape of your neck and over your ears. Small eggs (nits), produced by lice, attach to your hair shafts. The eggs hatch in about one week, resulting in more lice.
• Body lice. These lice spend most of their time in the seams and folds of your clothing. Body lice are often spread by direct contact with infected clothing or bedding or with an infected person. In rare cases, body lice may carry diseases.
• Pubic lice. Commonly called crabs, these lice occur on the skin and hair of your pubic areas and on eyelashes. Sexual contact or contact with infected clothing, bedding or even toilet seats can spread pubic lice.

You or your child can have good personal hygiene habits and still get lice. Unless treated properly, this vexing condition can become a recurring problem.

Signs and symptoms

Signs and symptoms of lice include:

• Intense itching.

• Lice on the scalp, the body, clothing, or pubic or other body hair. Lice can be up to 1/8 inch (3 millimeters) in size.

• Lice eggs (nits) on hair shafts. Nits resemble tiny pussy willow buds. Nits can be mistaken for dandruff, but unlike dandruff they can't be easily brushed out of hair.

• Small, red bumps on the scalp, neck and shoulders.

• Dandruff

• Parasites

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