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Mercer Island -
They're creepy, they're crawly, and your child has a one if four chance of getting them. We're talking about lice.
This month, a Kirkland school had to close down because of an outbreak of lice. The principal of Holy Family Parish said a quarter of the kids got lice.
It's such a problem, it's becoming a big business. A local woman is now cashing in on the little buggers, opening a lice treatment salon called "Lice Knowing You".
Nancy Gordon is the only certified "lice removal specialist" in the state of Washington. She knew she was on to something, once she found out 25% percent of all kids will get lice sometime during their school careers.
"It's now rated as the second most common childhood affliction besides the common cold," says Gordon.
Rebecca Vasquez's daughter Alena caught lice from another student at school. The mom tried twice to beat the little buggers at home, but then turned to the experts.
"I hope now we have it under control. We have a 10 week-old baby at home and fortunately the lice haven't spread to her."
The technicians start by applying oils to the hair to make it easy to comb. Then they meticulously divide the hair into sections, removing all the lice and nits. After that, it's time for a scalp treatment.
"I don't think people should be embarrassed if their child gets lice," says Vasquez. "They should be embarrassed if they don't tell the school when they spread them to other kids but they shouldn't be embarrassed when there's an outbreak."
It costs $95 an hour for a lice treatment at the salon. Most kids need about an hour and a half to two hours to get all the lice out of their hair.
When checking for lice, you should look for nits, or lice eggs, on the scalp. They look like tiny grains of sand and can often be mistaken for dandruff. Lice are not able to jump from one child to the next, but are transferred from close contact, or sharing things like pillows or hats.
For more information, call 1-877-670-LICE.
This month, a Kirkland school had to close down because of an outbreak of lice. The principal of Holy Family Parish said a quarter of the kids got lice.
It's such a problem, it's becoming a big business. A local woman is now cashing in on the little buggers, opening a lice treatment salon called "Lice Knowing You".
Nancy Gordon is the only certified "lice removal specialist" in the state of Washington. She knew she was on to something, once she found out 25% percent of all kids will get lice sometime during their school careers.
"It's now rated as the second most common childhood affliction besides the common cold," says Gordon.
Rebecca Vasquez's daughter Alena caught lice from another student at school. The mom tried twice to beat the little buggers at home, but then turned to the experts.
"I hope now we have it under control. We have a 10 week-old baby at home and fortunately the lice haven't spread to her."
The technicians start by applying oils to the hair to make it easy to comb. Then they meticulously divide the hair into sections, removing all the lice and nits. After that, it's time for a scalp treatment.
"I don't think people should be embarrassed if their child gets lice," says Vasquez. "They should be embarrassed if they don't tell the school when they spread them to other kids but they shouldn't be embarrassed when there's an outbreak."
It costs $95 an hour for a lice treatment at the salon. Most kids need about an hour and a half to two hours to get all the lice out of their hair.
When checking for lice, you should look for nits, or lice eggs, on the scalp. They look like tiny grains of sand and can often be mistaken for dandruff. Lice are not able to jump from one child to the next, but are transferred from close contact, or sharing things like pillows or hats.
For more information, call 1-877-670-LICE.
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