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National Pediculosis Association Petition Leads to FDA Website Updates on Treating Head Lice

You are here: Home / In the Press (all articles) / National Pediculosis Association Petition Leads to FDA Website Updates on Treating Head Lice

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February 10, 2020 //  by NPA

Lice and Nit Combing Acknowledged as A Valid Treatment Strategy

NEWTON, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The National Pediculosis Association (NPA) of Newton, Mass. today announced a milestone in its mission to educate parents on chemical-free ways to screen and treat children with head lice.

Following review of a citizen petition from the NPA, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has updated its website, Treating and Preventing Head Lice, noting that lice removal kits, which are “comb or comb-like” devices, are a treatment option, and stating that combing may be used alone.

“We appreciate the FDA’s careful consideration. While combs have been mentioned passively through the years, the FDA is now recognizing combing as a treatment strategy on its own,” said Deborah Altschuler, President of the NPA.

Reaching this day is a capstone achievement for the NPA, which Ms. Altschuler co-founded in 1983 as the first national organization to focus specifically on pediculosis (lice) as a public health challenge for children, families and communities.

Ms. Altschuler was inspired by her own family’s experience with head lice, at a time when standard lice treatments were potentially toxic pesticides.

Since then, the NPA has worked to empower parents and their communities to prevent outbreaks and handle infestations safely with a quality lice comb.

The NPA’s initiatives range from September’s National Head Lice Prevention Month to educational videos to the LiceMeister® comb, which was featured as a non-chemical alternative to the pesticide lindane by the international Stockholm Convention, a treaty dedicated to the elimination or restricted use of persistent organic pollutants.

More information about pediculosis and combing is available at HeadLice.org and LiceMeister.com.

About the National Pediculosis Association

The National Pediculosis Association (NPA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to setting the highest public health standards for children related to the communicability and treatment of head lice. The NPA is comprised of volunteers including its Scientific Advisory Board. As part of its mission, the NPA developed the LiceMeister® comb. All proceeds from the comb allow the NPA to maintain independence from product manufacturers and protect children from the misuse and abuse of pesticide treatments for lice.

Contacts

Media: Dawn Ringel, 781-449-8456 or dawn@ringelpr.com.

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Filed Under: In the Press (all articles), Press Releases

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National Pediculosis Association,® Inc.

National Pediculosis Association Mission Statement

The NPA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated since 1983 to protecting children, their families and their environment from the misuse and abuse of prescription and over-the-counter pesticide treatments for lice and scabies.

Pediculosis (the medical term for an infestation of lice) provides a public health opportunity to teach important lessons about communicable disease preparedness, responsible personal behaviors, environmental health, and the importance of learning about pharmaceutical remedies before using them on our children and ourselves.

NPA is committed to setting the highest possible public health standards for children as they relate to the communicability and treatment of head lice. NPA has been the leader in raising pediculosis as a public health priority and a pioneer in public health education and research on pediculosis.

The National Pediculosis Association,® Inc. (NPA)
1005 Boylston Street / STE 343
Newton, MA 02461
617-905-0176 / npa@headlice.org

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About LiceMeister® Comb

The NPA developed the LiceMeister® comb in 1997 to accomplish its mission by providing a higher standard for lice combing tools and a safe, cost-effective treatment alternative to pesticides. All proceeds from sales of the LiceMeister comb allow the NPA to be self-sustaining and independent from product manufacturers while accomplishing its mission of protecting children from the misuse and abuse of pesticide treatments for lice.

Since 1997, the LiceMeister comb has been the preferred choice of many health professionals and the gold standard in combing tools for lice and nits (lice eggs). It is an FDA cleared medical device (510K) for the purposes of routine screening, early detection and removal of lice and nits, and it is the only comb to carry the name of the National Pediculosis Association.

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