AAP's Updated Head Lice Policy

While inconvenient, head lice cause no medical harm and can be effectively treated.

Head lice are not a health hazard or a sign of poor hygiene and, in contrast to body lice, are not responsible for the spread of any disease.

Because head lice are usually transmitted by head‑to‑head contact, parents should carefully check a child’s head before and after attending a sleepover or camp where children share sleeping quarters.

Dr. Cindy Devore discusses head lice, its treatments and symptoms.