Safely screen, detect, and remove head lice and nits.

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CombFirst! Before Camp, Advises the National Pediculosis Association

"As children and teens dive into the summer camp season, the National Pediculosis Association (NPA) today encouraged parents, counselors, camp nurses and administrators to prevent head lice from interfering with even a minute of fun! 'Camps that promote parental preparedness via screening for lice before camp are one giant step ahead,' said Deborah Altschuler, President of the NPA, a nonprofit organization advocating for children to arrive at camp lice and nit free. 'There are camp directors spending thousands of dollars checking children for pediculosis upon arrival without teaching parents how to comb their children for lice and nits at home. Parents can and should be first to detect infestations before sending children to camp. Those who know about screening for head lice with a lice …

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Helping Each New Generation of Parents Tackle the Age-Old Challenge of Head Lice – Safely and Effectively

The National Pediculosis Association Continues its Leadership Role with New Educational Resources and the Tools to CombFirst! NEWTON, Mass. March 26, 2019 No matter how each new generation of parents differs from its predecessors, one fact remains the same—sooner or later, they will be challenged by a lice infestation first identified at school, a childcare center, or camp. What’s changed and improved, though, is parents’ access to a wealth of tools and resources for treating children with lice—without the use of potentially harmful chemicals and pesticides. The catalyst behind these changes is the National Pediculosis Association (NPA)—a nonprofit organization whose impact has continued to grow over the 36 years since its founding. The NPA advocates for the highest possible …

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Going to School with Carefully Combed Hair Takes on New Importance

September is National Head Lice Prevention Month: A Time to CombFirst! NEWTON, Mass. September 05, 2018 This fall, there is one more important reason for children to leave for school every day with their hair carefully combed. As schools relax their vigilance and allow children with head lice into the classroom, the nonprofit National Pediculosis Association (NPA) is urging parents to proactively use a quality lice and nit removal comb for early detection, so an infestation doesn’t catch them by surprise. The CombFirst! message is central to a year-long educational campaign sponsored by the NPA, which kicks off each September as National Head Lice Prevention Month. The NPA is a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to setting the highest possible public health standards, …

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Keeping Children Safe: September Is National Head Lice Prevention Month!

National Pediculosis Association Recommends Parents Be Informed Before Outbreaks Occur. Newton, MA August 23, 2018. NEWTON, Mass. (PRWEB) August 23, 2018 -- Parents naturally put their children first, constantly seeking information to keep their families nurtured and safe. But when it comes to head lice, they’re often confronted with conflicting guidance and misinformation—leading them to make potentially risky and ineffective treatment decisions. Among the hazards are serious health effects from repeated exposure to various pesticide remedies, treatment failures, lice resistance, and chronic infestations that make parents and children feel desperate and overwhelmed.That’s why September is National Head Lice Prevention Month, the beginning of a year-long awareness campaign …

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NPA Urges the US Food and Drug Administration to Recognize Safer Head Lice Treatment Choices

The National Pediculosis Association® (NPA) has submitted a petition to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requesting that it update its website and other educational materials so that combing with well-designed nit-removal combs like the LiceMeister® is presented as a safe and effective option for the treatment of children with head lice. Doing so would give more parents access to the critical information and guidance necessary to make informed decisions. There are many children for whom a non-chemical treatment for lice is required. Read full release. | Read the petition. | Read the FDA's acknowledgement of the petition. The NPA’s petition is consistent with the FDA’s goal to empower consumers and patients to make informed and effective health decisions, as stated by …

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Tiny Bugs Wreak Havoc; Report of Collembola as Human Parasites Supports Recent Research Findings

A 1955 report to the medical literature, apparently overlooked or ignored, sheds new light on the National Pediculosis Association's efforts to alert the medical community and health officials to the ability of Collembola to infest humans. Needham, MA, August 19, 2005 -- Collembola, also known as springtails or snow fleas, are described in the authoritative "Biology of Springtails" by Hopkin as among the most widespread and abundant terrestrial arthropods on earth. Collembola are referred to as the earliest fossil proof of insect life on the planet. Why should people care? Collembola are being found in human hair and skin. Infestations appear to be communicable from particular environmental conditions or from one person to another, and there is no known cure once a person is …

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An Emerging Health Crisis — Where’s Dr. House When You Need Him?

Needham, MA (PRWEB) May 19, 2005 -- If it weren't so tragic, it could be the story line in a Stephen King novel. Each day the National Pediculosis Association (NPA) is contacted by individuals describing the torment and horror of oozing skin lesions, sensations of bugs biting and crawling under their skin and doctors who diagnose it as nothing more than a delusion. In a 1994 Ladies Home Journal article about children who suffered seizures after being exposed to Lindane, a treatment for lice and scabies, the NPA provided a toll free number to launch the first national reporting registry for lice and scabies outbreaks, product failure, and adverse reactions to treatments. Adverse reaction reports to the NPA registry about Lindane led to the FDA giving Lindane a black box and its strongest …

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New Medical Device Keeps Lice Out Of Everyone’s Hair

The Chemical Approach To Head Lice Has Failed. BOSTON, March 13 /PRNewswire/ -- It's almost impossible to find a community in the U.S. that doesn't have kids with lice. The non-profit National Pediculosis Association (NPA) says this fact adds to the scientific evidence that the chemical approach to controlling head lice has failed. The continual reliance on pesticide treatments has enabled the louse to become well established among the childhood population. The NPA advises parents that the safe alternative is to screen often and manually remove lice and nits (lice eggs). To help the millions of families affected by this communicable childhood disease, the NPA has developed the LiceMeister(R) comb, and is making it available to communities through local pharmacies. The February …

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Thorough Combing Emerges as the Treatment of Choice for Children with Head Lice

August 4, 1999 - In the newest issue of the American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, W. Steven Pray, Professor of Non-Prescription Products and Devices at Southwestern Oklahoma State University, writes about resistant lice and warns about the lack of safeguards for alternative products. He discusses the wide variety of commonly used chemical products and describes Lindane, a cyclodiene pesticide, as the most toxic pediculicide available. Given the inadequacies of a chemical approach to controlling head lice, Professor Pray recommends thorough combing as the emerging treatment of choice and instructs pharmacists to "shift in the new millennium to thorough combing with a highly effective comb such as the LiceMeister®." Professor Pray strongly advises against unproven head lice …

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