Head lice: offering resistance, but the battle can be won

Infestation with head lice (pediculosis) is a wide spread, persistant and recurring problem. Despite tremendous advances in medicine in recent years, we still find ourselves in the situation where it is unlikely there are fewer cases of head lice in our children now than there were three decades ago. In our defence, it is the behaviour of the head louse, Pediculus capitis, that makes it fundamentally difficult to control. Not only does it move rapidly and have the ability to camouflage itself to some degree, by taking on a similar colour to the hair it hatches on, but also most cases consist of very few lice, often less than 10 individuals, so only a fraction of active cases are ever detected or treated at any given time. What are the options for treatment?