Thursday 31 July 2014

4. Health Snippets - Week 2, Term 3

Head Lice

Head lice are an unwelcome part of life, and are easily spread between people, particularly children.  The key to managing head lice is early detection; look through your child's hair on a regular basis and nominate a certain night of the week so it becomes routine.

Use your fingers or a head lice comb, and look for little brown insects on the scalp.  The eggs are almost invisible before they hatch, so by the time you spot the little white eggs on the hair shaft, they are already hatched.

Do not treat your child unless you see live lice.

The best treatment is thoroughly combing with a head lice comb and lots of conditioner in the hair. This should be done every 2nd day for 10 days.  If you choose to use a head lice shampoo, you should still do the combing as described above.  Shampoos do not kills eggs, and do not always kill all the live lice.

Do not use animal products on your child's scalp.  They are harmful to humans.

For more information look up www.healthed.govt.nz/resources/headlice-facts or contact your public health nurse - Lesley Henderson on 433 1161 or lesley.henderson@southerndhb.govt.nz


Car Seats

A law change last year meant that all children under the age of 7 must now sit in a booster seat when travelling in a car.  It is recommended that children stay in a booster seat until they reach a height of 148 cm, because adult restraints are usually unsafe for children below that height.

It is the responsibility of the driver that children under 7 are restrained appropriately in the car.  If not, they must not be transported.

For more information look up www.safekids.org.nz/Downloads/Safekids%20Resources/Motor%20Vehicle%20Child%20Passenger/Child%20restraint%20FACTSHEET4_FINAL%20long.pdf

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