Head Lice (Pediculosis Capitis):
Teen information

Pediculosis capitis is another term for infestation with head lice, a highly contagious disease that often occurs in schools. It can also cause outbreaks anywhere that people live in close quarters. Intense itching of the scalp is the most prominent symptom of a head lice infestation.

Lice are very small insects that feed on human blood. In head lice, the female louse attaches her eggs (nits) to the base of hair shafts. The nits then hatch 8–10 days later. While the adult louse cannot survive more than 2 days off of the human head, a nit can stay alive for up to a month off the body (eg, on clothes, hairbrushes, or carpets,), which is what contributes to how contagious they are. Lice can spread from person to person by close personal contact and by sharing belongings.