How does a person get head lice, and how are they spread?
Most commonly head lice are spread from an infected person to an uninfected person by direct contact with the hair, as when children hug and play. They are also spread by sharing personal items such as brushes, combs, towels, hats, caps, and head gear. Sharing lockers and coat racks at school has been associated with the spread of head lice. Lice may leave the head when there is physical contact with another head, when they are displaced by combing or brushing, or when they are removed with hats or other head gear. A head louse infestation is often a group, family, or classroom problem. If one person who has intimate contact with a group of people gets infested, the infestation may quickly spread to others in the group. Communal sharing of combs and brushes, participation in contact sports, and sharing of training head gear are some of the most common ways head lice are spread. How do head lice live, and how fast do they multiply? The adult female head louse lays her eggs (nits) at the
