Attack Of The ‘Super Ninja Lice’ Schools Report Outbreak Of Hard-To-Kill Parasites

An unusually severe lice outbreak is making head checks routine for hundreds of Spokane children, parents and school nurses, who say the pests are harder than ever to kill.

Nurses fear the insects they’ve dubbed “super ninja head lice” are developing a resistance to once-effective shampoos and treatments.

The mother of one Spokane elementary school student says she quickly discovered the lice were stronger than the shampoo her doctor prescribed when her 6-year-old daughter was sent home from school.

“I was combing live lice out of her hair, even after the shampoo,” she said.

Spokane school officials say they’re seeing an increase in the severity and number of lice cases in the past two years, although no one keeps an exact count.

Workers at some schools - including the Mead and Valley districts - haven’t noticed a dramatic increase, while others are so inundated they’re recruiting parent volunteers into classrooms to check youngsters’ heads for lice, sometimes three days a week.

Principals are sending home gym clothes for hot-water washes and telling elementary teachers to stash boxes of shared dress-up clothes.

Kids have passed lice to parents, siblings - sometimes teachers.

“They were much easier to get rid of up until last year,” said Carol Murphy, health services coordinator for Spokane School District 81 schools. “It’s a terrible dilemma.”

Some experts suspect it’s a nation-wide trend.

The National Pediculosis Association, a non-profit health agency, issued a warning to frustrated parents last spring against resorting to dangerous alternatives, such as kerosene or pet shampoos.

The agency gets about 50 calls a day from parents and health professionals reporting that treatment products aren’t working.

Judy Maire, health supervisor for the state school superintendent’s office, said she suspects a resistance problem throughout the state.

“I’ve heard of much larger outbreaks of lice … and great difficulty in controlling it. I do believe that it’s worse this year.”

On Thursday, about 400 students from the All Saints Catholic School on Spokane’s South Hill carried home notes to their parents warning about lice after the insects were found on a half dozen children.

In northwest Spokane, teacher Donna Langeman has sent three liceinfested children home from her Browne Elementary classroom this school year.

She doesn’t let students play with dress-up clothes or borrow combs.

Stevie Carroll, a nurse at Spokane’s Holmes Elementary School, said some families follow all the rules - even spending $80 on shampoo and cleaning products - but find the lice remain as active as ever when they’re done.

One Holmes mother, who didn’t want her name used, said she’s one of those parents.

Her daughter got lice in her thick, brown hair, then passed it along to her 2-year-old sister. The mother finally got lice.

All used shampoo prescribed by a doctor. When it didn’t work, they tried it again. The mother said she also ran a hot iron over all the mattresses and upholstered furniture to kill lice, which can live for several days without human contact.

She stashed the children’s stuffed animals away in garbage bags for a month. She washed and dried or dry-cleaned every article of clothing.

Finally, the lice were gone, the woman said.

Until her daughter’s classmate came to visit - a girl who, the mother recently discovered, had lice.

On Friday, she started over, ironing mattresses and stuffing her washer with sheets and clothing. “I was very naive,” said the mother, frustrated and tired. “I’ve had a crash course in head lice.”

, DataTimes MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: KEEPING HEAD LICE IN CHECK Head lice don’t cause or spread disease, but they’re irritating and often hard to eliminate. Lice are parasites that feed off of blood. Health experts and school officials offer these tips for avoiding lice: Check children’s heads often. Don’t allow children to share hats and clothing. Don’t share combs or brushes. Don’t pile coats on top of one another. At school, use protective paper caps under sports and other head gear. In the classroom, don’t use stuffed toys, pillows, or other objects that come into contact with hair. Ask students not to lie on carpeted floors. For help in getting rid of lice, contact a doctor or the Spokane County Health District.

The following fields overflowed: BYLINE = Jeanette White Staff writer Staff writer Marny Lombard contributed to this report.