NYTimes lice article snips; response

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For those interested in head lice treatment research, advice and news coverage....

Here are a few snips from the NYTimes 2/26/02 article "Seeking New Ways to Fight a Persistent Foe: Lice" If you want the whole article, write me at julie@... or get it off the New York Times web site (it's no longer in the one-week free archive). I also found it at http://www.iht.com/articles/49593.html

There's nothing really new in the article except perhaps some of the info below. I didn't think it was very well done. Nothing was said about the frenzied cleaning people do. Or how dangerous Ovide and ne can be.

Below the snippets is my letter-to-the-editor of the NYTimes, which probably doesn't have much chance of being printed. (You can't say much in 150 words!)

From the article: (Ellipses are NOT used throughout to show paragraphs deleted.)

.....Most recently, Terri L. Meinking, a research assistantprofessor at the University of Miami School of Medicine anda well- known lice expert, looked at two prescriptionmedications and several over-the- counter formulas to findout whether lice had become resistant to them. Published in February in The Archives of Dermatology, herstudy found that Nix killed 3 percent to 5 percent of liceafter 10 minutes (the recommended time) and 8 percent to 10percent after 20 minutes. RID, the market leader, killed 7 percent in 10 minutes.A-200, which is similar to the formulation of Nix, was moreeffective. A prescription medication, Ovide, containingmalathion, was the most effective, killing 88 percent oflice in 10 minutes. (Note from --And people are supposed to leave this smelly, flammable product on for 8 to 12 hours?? )

Despite questions about resistance, the over-the-countershampoos remain the most commonly recommended form oftreatment. The most recent guidelines on eradicating licewere published in the August 2000 issue of the journalContemporary Pediatrics. As first-line treatment, itrecommends using an over-the-counter shampoo and a metallice comb and a second treatment eight to 10 days later. If live lice are present after those two treatments, thejournal suggests using prescription medicine with malathioncombined with combing to remove the nits. But two parent groups, the National Pediculosis Associationbased in Newton, Mass., and the American Head LiceInformation and Resource Center in Cambridge, criticize theguidelines. "There are legitimate scientific reports telling us thatthese products aren't working," said Deborah Z. Altschulerof the N.P.A., which sells its own lice removal products.

.....Plus, studies show that a large proportion of nits neverbecome lice. A study by the Centers for Disease Control andPrevention published last year in the journal Pediatricsfound that of 50 children with just nits, 9 children (18percent) became infested with lice in the two-weekfollow-up. "Most nits in the hair are empty shells," said Dr. Keoki, the lead author of the study, who is now aninternist for the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. "Childrenwith nits but without an active infestation should simplybe watched very closely, rather than removed from school." Finch of , N.C., said her 6- year-oldrecently missed two weeks of school after having beenrepeatedly sent home with nits. After trying several over-the-counter products, as well as combing the girl'swaist-length hair, a pediatrician found the problem wasdandruff. Ms. Finch said she was working to overturn her district'sno-nit policy. Other parents and school officials are considering similaraction. Last month, the Cherry Hill, N.J., school districtabolished its no-nit rule amid much controversy. Recently, the school nurses' association and the NationalAcademy of Pediatrics issued statements against thepolicies.....http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/26/health/children/26LICE.html?ex=1015909838 & ei=1 & en=b59f4edeb1d804df

New York Times letter to the editor

RE: "Seeking New Ways to Fight a Persistent Foe: Lice" 2/26/02

Skip expensive, ineffective, pesticide-laden head lice treatments. Three parents here--an MD, biologist and I--read lice research and advice from all over. The most effective head lice treatment we found is also safest. We use and recommend the simple National Pediculosis Association (NPA) method: Comb lice and nits out of wet or dry hair with a good, long-tined metal nit comb by one-inch sections, pinning up sections as you proceed. (The NPA LiceMeister ® comb IS superior.) If you're worried lice might run, the EPA's Integrated Pest Management in Schools handbook says to saturate the hair with salad oil (Ex.: olive, canola) before combing to slow lice. Check or nit-comb hair daily for 10 or more days. Lice can't survive long off heads; don't go crazy cleaning. Don’t use “repellants” or toxic lice sprays. Vacuum the car seat, couch, coat. Freeze hats and hair things overnight. Check or nit-comb vulnerable children regularly.

McMaine , Minnesota Children’s Health Environmental Coalition (MNCHEC) media chair