Lice epidemic on the rampage through schools

A LICE epidemic in schools across Cyprus is running out of control because it is not being dealt with properly, a top dermatologist said yesterday.

“The only way to fight the problem once and for all is for all schools to close for two days so the children can go under treatment simultaneously and consequently stop giving lice to each other,” Dr Eleni Christofi Apostolou told the Cyprus Mail.

The lice epidemic has broken out over the past month among children between the ages of six and 15, and is spreading because of the high temperatures and through everyday contact at school.

But because children do not use anti-lice shampoos in the right way, the problem simply does not go way, Apostolou said.

“First of all, anti-lice shampoos do not kill lice eggs easily. The child, or its parent, must therefore remove them from the head manually or using a comb.”

“Children should also make a habit of examining their head once in a while to see if there are any lice eggs on it and remove them before they start spreading,” she suggested.

The President of the association of dermatology, Dr Constantinos Demetriou, told reporters that lice shampoo must be left on a patient’s hair and head for at least one hour before washing out.

“Itchiness is the most common lice symptom. You can get lice from using other people’s combs, sheets, pillowcases, towels and blankets. In places like schools where a lot of children spend a lot of time together, it is very easy for a lice epidemic to start.”

A pharmacist told the Cyprus Mail that he had noticed an increase in lice cases and agreed that the only way to tackle the problem was for all children to go under treatment at the same time.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.