Mr Holm, what does a louse infestation say about children?

Dr Christian Holm is the head school doctor of the school medical service of the city of Zurich and a lice specialist. In an interview with the parents' magazine Fritz+Fränzi, he explains why lice have nothing to do with a lack of hygiene.

Mr Holm, does frequent hair washing prevent you from getting lice?

Head lice occur in all social classes and have nothing to do with a lack of hygiene. Therefore, frequent or more frequent hair washing in no way prevents an infestation of head lice. What does vary, however, is the extent to which the topic is taboo or not taboo at all, and this varies greatly depending on the culture and time period.

Can adults also get head lice?

Head lice are always a sign of close social contact. And children put their heads together far more often than adults do, which naturally favours the transmission of head lice. In principle, however, anyone with long enough hair, i.e. hair longer than 5 millimetres, and sufficiently dense hair growth can get head lice, regardless of age, culture and hygiene. If you are often confronted with lice infestation, you will realise that some products no longer work over time.

Why is that?

Resistance has actually been proven for some «anti-lice agents». This means that lice have adapted to these products over many generations and treatment no longer leads to the complete elimination of head lice. This can happen if treatments are not completed as prescribed. Resistance affects individual chemical substances that have a neurotoxic effect, paralysing the lice's nervous system. In clinical studies, certain physically active products have proven to be particularly effective and have no side effects. These physical agents contain silicones that block the openings of head lice.

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