Head Lice/Pediculosis
Head lice are tiny bugs that live only on a human scalp.
How do you get head lice?
Anyone can get head lice but children get lice more often than adults. When children play, their heads often touch.
Head lice spread easily:
- Through direct head-to-head contact
- Indirectly by sharing things like hats, combs, hairbrushes and headphones
Head lice do not fly or hop, but do crawl very quickly. Head lice that live on people do not live on pets such as cats or dogs.
Visit Caring for Kids to read about:
- how to check for head lice
- treatment for head lice
- cleaning your house
- resistant head lice
Updated on Monday, September 12, 2016.