Did you know that as many as 9 million Filipino school children were found to have head lice in year 2000? At the time, that represented 84 percent of the population of public school children in Metro Manila and some provinces. This was found by a study conducted by the Department of Education and the University of the Philippines. It’s such a big problem that head lice are considered the second biggest health concern among students, 7 to 12 years of age, after tooth decay.
In year 2014, with a bigger population of school children, the likelihood of spreading lice infestation among students is greater. And since our tropical climate worsens the itch we feel in our scalps, more students find themselves scratching their heads, and possibly transferring lice and nits or lice eggs (kuto and lisa) from their fingernails to their friends’, playmates’ and classmates’ hair and personal belongings including combs and hair accessories, and even school, PE, and sports uniforms, as well as jackets and sweaters. Students who go to sleepovers may catch lice from shared pillows and linen.
