Lice clinic gets heady result

A NIT-picking bunch of people have landed in Johannesburg - and they hope to combat the curse of head lice.

Mandy Davis, whose partner's children suffered from recurring lice infestations, was stunned to discover there were clinics to fight the scourge elsewhere in the world but not in South Africa.

She jumped into action and has launched the country's first lice clinic in Randburg, Johannesburg.

It helps parents to manage the problem and also provides mobile services at schools.

"The Nit-pickers will visit participating schools on a regular basis to examine the children. The clinic has the means to effectively treat those who have head lice with a new solution that completely does away with the need for harmful chemicals," said Davis.

Head lice are persistent pests that can spread quickly from child to child. Davis said seven out of 10 children got head lice.

''We find that it's very bad for a child's self esteem, especially if they've had if for a long time. It's actually quite traumatic for the whole family and we sometimes have moms crying on the phone."

Davis said the clinic used a clinically proven head lice treatment developed in the US to kill the lice and their eggs.

''The removal of the eggs is the key to ridding children of head lice, because they are the most difficult to kill."

If left untreated, said Davis, infestation could recur.

"We will never eradicate this scourge, but at least we are now better armed to get lice pandemics under control sooner to ensure a healthy school and work environment for everyone."