Many young children will contract head lice, and their parents should not be embarassed or alarmed.
Head lice are parasitic insects that live on human scalps.
Nits are their tiny white eggs, and they cannot be brushed off like dandruff, says Dr. Lois Dusdieker, associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Iowa College of Medicine and staff physician at the Family Care Center. You need to use a special comb, which is available at drug stores, to pull them off because lice cement their eggs to the hair shaft near the scalp. Parents generally discover head lice by seeing the nits in a child's hair, or when children complain of itching. School nurses periodically check for lice so cases don't spread at school. Note how far the nits are from the scalp.