Stay alert through new lice warning system

Created: Tuesday, February 19, 2013 Print

ADVERTORIAL
A new “lice alert” social media platform has been established by Picksan where South Africans can stay informed of infestations and glean information on how to deal with lice.
Now, the public can go to Lice Alert SA on facebook or @LiceAlertSA on twitter and provide details of lice outbreaks, or to find out about current outbreaks and how to manage this.
Head lice affects millions of children across the world with up to half of all South African children expected to suffer from an infestations at some stage – with summer being the most common lice season.
Head lice are small, wingless parasites that feed on tiny amounts of blood, causing itching, skin irritation and sometimes infection. Head lice infestation is most frequent in children and teenagers and is spread through direct head-to-head contact.
Anti-lice shampoos are the most effective treatment of head lice but many have serious side effects due to poisonous ingredients, particularly the chemical lindane.
Now, there’s a safe, non toxic, double action offering from Picksan to deal comprehensively with lice – Picksan Lice Stop, a shampoo to effectively treat lice infestations and Picksan NoLice!, a preventative spray. Both products have been formulated by Prof. Heinz Mehlhorn, who heads up the department of Cytology and Parasitology at Düsseldorf University.
Picksan Lice Stop is a high quality, anti-lice shampoo which is non-toxic and contains natural acting ingredients including the MelAza extract, derived from a special patented neem seed extract from the neem tree which has been used in India to treat lice for thousands of years.
Giulia Criscuolo, responsible pharmacist for health and wellness company OTC Pharma SA which distributes Picksan in South Africa, says the shampoo has undergone extensive dermatological testing to prove its efficacy. “It is non toxic, non flammable, has a pleasant odour and doesn’t cause skin irritation like many other anti-lice shampoos. It has proven to be highly effective if used correctly to treat lice.”
Lice protocol:

Check your child’s hair carefully for lice or nits.
On discovering lice, wash your child’s hair with non toxic Picksan Lice Stop shampoo.
Use the complimentary lice comb to extract remaining lice and nits.
After administering the shampoo use Picksan NoLice! preventative spray to deter remaining lice and protect your child’s hair from further infestation.
If possible, keep your child out of school. Inform the school when you discover an infestation. Tweet your school or area’s details to@LiceAlertSA or post the information on theLice Alert SA facebook page to warn parents and schools of the outbreak.
After a week, repeat steps one to four.
Try to avoid contact between your child and playmates for at least 10 days.

For more information, call Giulia Criscuolo on 083-383-7457.
Additional notes:
In addition to the health impact, the stigma of lice infestations can also be damaging. One in 10 parents in the UK said their child had been the victim of cruel jibes as a result of having head lice while 15 % of parents said they had felt victimised by teachers because of infestations.
Lice occur exclusively on humans and prefer clean hair. There are a multitude of products on the market to treat lice infestation and only a few which claim repellancy and protection from infestation. Most of these contain harmful insecticides which may cause damage.
Contrary to popular belief, head lice do not jump or fly, can survive on a human host for about 30 days and generally cannot survive longer than 24 hours if separated from the host.

http://www.health24.com/child/Health/833-853-872,79491.asp

IMDC - Institute of Medicine Dermatological of Chicago

quarta-feira, 20 de fevereiro de 2013