Parents: What To Know About The CDC’s Updated Guidance On Lice

As we head into the school year, there have been a few news reports popping up on the internet about some "new guidance" from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for a common issue many Minnesota and Wisconsin families deal with during the school year.

That common issue? Lice. I know, it's gross. But it is something many families deal with each school year as kids get back together.

As students across Wisconsin and Minnesota get back into school, what should parents know if their student has a run-in with head lice?

What is the CDC's latest guidance on head lice?

Local TV news stations across the country have been running stories like this one, saying there is new guidance from the CDC about head lice for the upcoming school year.

As the CDC's own website explains, there hasn't been a recent change. The issue is that many parents and school officials just might not know what the latest guidance is. So, what do parents need to know?

READ MORE: Minnesota Has Been 'Invaded' By South Dakota

Whether you experienced a personal run-in with head lice or you had a friend who did back in school, you might remember being sent home early as part of the procedure. The idea behind that policy was to get the kids treated as soon as possible while preventing further spread.

The "new guidance", which is actually several years old now, is that the policy you might remember as a kid is no longer the recommendation.

In their latest guidance, the CDC now says students with head lice no longer need to be sent home from school early. The agency's recommendations say students can finish the school day, receive lice treatment at home, and return to class as soon as the next morning after a successful treatment.

How do you prevent head lice?

The CDC's recommendations for the prevention of the spread of head lice include the following:

• Avoiding head-to-head or hair-to-hair contact
• Don't share things like combs, towels, hats, scarves, hair ribbons/barrettes, and other clothing items like coats or sports uniforms
• Do not lie on beds, couches, pillows, carpets, or stuffed animals that have recently been in contact with a person infested with head lice

Sharing these tips with kids is highly recommended. Being the highest number of reported cases happen among kids ages 3-11, it is admittedly an age group that might not easily remember or adhere to these rules.

Because of that, I have also included some tips from the CDC for examining for lice as well as tips for treatment.