Head Lice in New York? Don’t Panic!

Maybe you’ve gotten that dreaded letter home from the school health office, warning of an increase in the outbreak rates of head lice in New York schools. On the other hand, maybe you’ve already noticed the kids are scratching their heads and acting a little more cranky than normal.

Count your lucky stars that we know so much more about lice treatment in the 21st century!

Got head lice in New York? It could be worse…

From that day in 1902 when the New York City school system hired its first public school nurse, educational administrators have been keen on tracking and controlling the spread of infectious diseases in the schools.

It’s funny to imagine this, but “nit nurses,” as they were called back then, had a rather surprising way of dealing with the pandemic head lice in New York. As the nurse would examine a child, they would use a nit comb to scrape the nits and lice onto a piece of paper, then dump them into an envelope with a note home to the parents! So you think the note you got home is bad? Just imagine!

With the pandemic nature of lice at the time, this “take no prisoners” approach might have been called for. In 1907, close to one million treatments were given for head lice in New York, based on public health records of the time. That’s an impressive number, considering the city counted around 4.5 million total residents at that time.

Harsh treatments were the standard back then, with the most popular product being a combination of birch tar and caustic soda. Using this soap, the hapless lice victim was forced to lather up and sit for 10 smelly, uncomfortable minutes. The lice themselves didn’t have the luxury of a quick death; it took up to 24 hours or more for the soap to have its full impact. This soap was the standard until the 1950s, when DDT became a popular solution. From the frying pan to the fire!

Okay, so times have changed and we are bit more humane in addressing the head lice issue. Still, it’s not fun to be the subject of this itchy and embarrassing situation.

Modern Treatments for Head Lice in New York

Far from the days of harsh chemicals and rude treatment, head lice can be ameliorated with safe, non-toxic alternatives. Look for a head lice treatment that is made from natural ingredients like olive oil, cinnamon oil, tea tree oils and other effective yet pleasant substances. Times have changed! Wow, are we glad.

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