UQ researchers target head lice problem

Almost half the children in many Queensland primary schools have head lice at any one time, according to a University of Queensland researcher.

Associate Professor Stephen Barker from UQ’s School of Molecular and Microbial Sciences said head lice were rife in Queensland schools.

In response to the problem, UQ’s main technology commercialisation company, UniQuest Pty Ltd, has established a new program entitled Head louse control in Queensland primary schools.

As part of the program, a team of UQ researchers are about to start visiting up to nine primary schools in the Brisbane metropolitan area during Term Three. They will offer a head louse treatment to each child.

“The main problem with head lice is that students miss out on classes because they are often sent home and not allowed back to school until they are louse-free,” Dr Barker said.

“In addition, children with lice normally feel lousy, become irritable and can have problems concentrating on their studies.”

Dr Barker said head lice infect people by swinging from the hair of one head to another and survive by sucking blood from skin capillaries.

He said most eggs hatch after a week, reach their adult size of 3mm in nine to 12 days and have a life span is approximately 30 days.

“Because of this, the best way to control head lice is to treat the entire school at once,” Dr Barker said.

“A trial of the program at six Brisbane primary schools during Term One and Two this year gave encouraging results.”

He said interested parents should firstly ask their child’s Principal about enrolling in the program. Schools will be taken into the program on a first-come-first-served basis.

For more information or to register your interest in the program, telephone 0422 006 378.

Media: For further information, contact Dr Barker (telephone 3365 3303, email s.barker@uq.edu.au) or Joanne van Zeeland at UQ Communications (telephone 07 3365 2619).