June 2012 Newsletter

Dear Dr. Hale,

My six-year-old brought head lice home from school.  I’m afraid my breastfeeding baby is going to get them.  Is there a safe and effective treatment for breastfed infants?

Worried Mom

(Answer excerpted from InfantRisk Center website – www.infantrisk.com)

Dear Worried Mom,

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has recently given their approval on a new treatment for head lice. The medication should make coping with head lice easier as it eliminates the need to comb the hair for nits.

Head lice or pediculus humanus capitis infestations occur in as many as 12 million children yearly nationwide. Lice are spread by direct contact with hair that is infested. Activities such as sharing combs, brushes, beds, and hats may also contribute to the spread of these parasites.  Lice infestation in the U.S. is more frequent in girls, but is less common in African Americans.