What are head lice, and what do they look like?
Head lice are small, flat insects; the adults are about 1/8 inch in length. They have no wings, and they do not fly or jump. Their color varies from a dirty white to grayish black. Head lice have sucking mouthparts and suck blood. They live on the head and spend their entire life cycle in the hair. They have six legs and relatively large claws for grasping and holding on to human hair. They crawl through the hair. 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 h
