Mutant ‘super lice’ have spread to Western NY; new strain resists common

In 25 of the states tested – including Alabama – 100 percent of the lice tested were resistant to common over-the-counter treatments.

This new strain of lice will lead to an over-the-counter medications, which is usually meant to treat lice infestations, completely ineffective.

She said kids ages 3 to 9 perpetuate live the most, from head-to-head contact. As schools resumption date is just few months away, some Western New York parents are anxious.

“I am really concerned about that”, Tonia Carr, a Buffalo mom, told WIVB-TV.

In fact, that’s the reason lice seem to gravitate toward kids rather than adults; they’re always up in each other’s personal space, and it gives the lice plenty of opportunities to travel.

Pitcher said lice is not a recordable statistic, so officials don’t have a clear gauge on how widespread it is, but while the country and even Indiana are dealing with the mutated lice, her office has received no reports of super lice. That means, super lice are antibiotic resistant as a result of medication either being overused or used incorrectly. There are also natural lice-repelling shampoos and sprays that you can use with tree oil; there’s no medical proof that they actually work, but they’re not harmful to your child and they may help prevent head lice.

Have them store their jackets in their back packs when they head back to school.

It may start with a tickle on your scalp and turn into intense itching all over your head. Even when chemicals do kill the lice, they fail to eradicate the eggs, which are called nits. Though they are not risky, but itchiness associated with them is annoyingly unbearable and one might end up plucking one’s hair. Eggs or nits range from yellow to brown, and look like tiny seeds at the base of the hair near the scalp. You then comb through the hair diligently for 15 to 30 minutes, removing all lice and nits. Girls are more likely to get head lice than boys, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. She discovered that the chemical in all over-the-counter lice-killers no longer affects the mutant louse forcing those with heads full of bugs to seek other options.

And while they’re not considered a health threat, lice can easily spread from person-to-person.