INTRODUCTION
Go into just about any community in the country, and you'll find children with head lice. By some estimates, 6 to 10 million kids a year become infested. There are a variety of products on the market to treat head lice, but your best weapon against lice may be good old-fashioned nit picking.

DEAN EDELL, M.D.
"Scientists say lice have been hanging around human heads for centuries, but finding the little buggers can still send parents into a cold sweat.

CATHY MOLINELLI/PARENT
"I think widespread panic was the first reaction, and just dread. What were we going to do from there on?"

DEAN EDELL, M.D.
"Cathy Molinelli found lice living on her son and daughter's heads last fall. She shampooed their hair with over-the-counter lice treatments twice, and even tried olive oil, but she still found live lice. She believes they may have been drug resistant.

"There are prescription products available to fight lice, but they're controversial. Lindane, also known by its trade name "kwell," was banned in California last year. Another product called ovide, contains the chemical malathion, the same chemical used in aerial spraying to kill mosquitoes and other bugs.

"The good news is there's a simple and safe solution to ridding heads of head lice."

CAROL MILLER, MD/PEDIATRICIAN
"Sit down and pick the nits out of the hair -- the most effective way is to actually manually pick them out."

DEAN EDELL, M.D.
"Need help figuring out what lice and their eggs look like? You can order a free 'critter card' off the Internet.

"If you have lice, experts recommend laundering recently used linens and clothes. But don't go overboard, and stay away from lice sprays. Lice can only live 24 hours away from a human host, so don't worry too much about catching them from your couch."

CAROL MILLER, MD/PEDIATRICIAN
"The likelihood of being infected from those sources is not very high and you've exposed your family and your pets to very toxic sprays."

DEAN EDELL, M.D.
"You're better off spending time and energy getting to the root of the problem."