The Lice Infested Child: Warning Signs That Can Not Be Ignored

    WEST PALM BEACH, FL, July 11, 2011 /24-7PressRelease/ -- News of yet another child's death shocks our country as residents of Jacksonville, FL question how such a thing could happen in their community. On June 30th, approximately one week after being removed from her mother's care, an unidentified 13-year-old mentally disabled teen was pronounced dead. According to the arrest report, the child appeared to have been starved; she weighed 77 pounds and was covered with lice. The victim's siblings, ages five, seven, and eight were found in the same filthy conditions and have since been placed in state's custody.

"It happens more often than we care to admit," shared Katie Shepherd, Executive Director of Lice Solutions Resource Network, Inc, a nonprofit head lice awareness and control center with offices in Florida, Georgia and Tennessee. "We work closely with child service agencies and schools across the country and we do see what school nurses' term repeat offenders."

According to Ms. Shepherd, neglected cases of head lice are often an indicator of a far greater problem. "Just pick up any article of a neglected or abused child and more times than not you will read 'the lice infested child'" she stated.

Lice Solutions' nonprofit services provide free and reduced treatments to some 62% of the children they serve each year. "We see the neglected cases almost daily and trust me they tend to be the most severe," she said. "One of our more recent cases- also a 13 year old with disabilities- was so severely infested that it took my staff an entire week to get through her hair. Generally we only use one or two rinse buckets, during an average two-hour treatment. In her case we used 72 buckets and based on what we combed out I estimate that we removed over 18,000 bugs. She was a free treatment! The upside, however, is that we not only got rid of her head lice, we also gave her back her self esteem."

Likewise Ms. Shepherd commented that last month her Tennessee office treated a similar case on a four-year-old child. Her infestation was so severe that the odor from the infected wounds emanated from her head. The office manager, a nurse practitioner, had to confer with the child's pediatrician to determine the best course of action that would provide an antibiotic in which to help heal her scalp, so that a successful treatment would be possible. Three days and 23 buckets later the young child, also a recipient of a free treatment, was deemed lice free.

"We find that parents are often reluctant to tell others their child has lice. They are just too embarrassed to admit it," Ms Shepherd explained. Yet according to Ms. Shepherd's book Lice Advice, The Shepherd Method of Strand by Strand Nit Removal, telling others is exactly what you need to do. "We tell our families, they got it from someone and they gave it to someone, so they need to be a friend and tell a friend. It's the only way to ensure you put an end to that never ending cycle," she added.

The negative stigma is what drew Dr. Shirley Gordon, a professor with Florida Atlantic Universities Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing, into the head lice world. "I focused initially on the persistent cases, those children that experienced three or more outbreaks in a six week period. What I found was that inevitably they had close contact with another lice infested individual," she commented. (Gordon, 1999) "I have also done a lot of research on the emotional impact this has on the child, as well as the caregiver strain." Dr. Gordon, who does much of her research out of Lice Solutions' Florida office, identified that "it was common for parents/caregivers to describe being overwhelmed with the persistent nature of their child's head lice. As a result, they describe the strategy of trying everything." (Gordon, 2007)

While many parents take the OCD route in their attempts to eliminate their child's head lice, others fail to prioritize the problem unless they are forced to do so. "Unfortunately some parents just don't care," Ms. Shepherd explained. "And if they don't care about the head lice on their child, you have to ask what else they are neglecting."

So as another community deals with the horrors of neglected children and the needless death of an innocent child; Ms Shepherd offers this advice,

"We can't stick our head in the sand and pretend like it doesn't exist. When we see children being neglected we must look for solutions. In our case, we help by treating the problem and hopefully better educating the families in the process, but in the end it is up to the parent if they are willing to benefit from it or not," she commented. "Lice happens- at one time or another we are all affected by it. What separates us, however, is how we deal with it."

Lice Solutions operates under Ms. Shepherd's "Do it once and do it right" policy by use of The Shepherd Method of strand by strand nit removal. They have trained and certified over 40 for-profit companies across the US in proper lice removal techniques and are actively involved in clinical research. Ms. Shepherd's book, Lice Advice, is the only book in the world that offers a pictorial journey through the daunting task of lice and nit removal. Recognized as one the leading lice experts, she has traveled the world by way of their global outreach programs; as she helps orphanages resolve their lice problems in several 3rd world countries. For more information about their services call 561-842-9969 or visit them on the web at http://www.licesolutions.org.

REFERENCES
Gordon, S. C. (1999). Factors related to overuse of chemical pesticides in children experiencing persistent head lice. The Journal of School Nursing, 15(5), 6-10.
Gordon, S. C. (2007). Shared vulnerability: a theory of caring for children with persistent head lice. The Journal of School Nursing, 23(5), 283-292.
Shepherd, Katie (2009). Lice Advice, The Shepherd Method of Strand by Strand Nit Removal. West Palm Beach, Fl: Star Group International.

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