Parents have been advised to check their children for head lice at least once a week now the new school year has begun.

Pharmacist with the Irish Pharmacy Union Grannie O'Leary explained how there is no way to prevent youngsters from contracting nits, the Irish Independent reports.

However, "the earlier the infection is detected, the easier it is to manage", meaning parents should establish a routine of regularly wet-combining their children's hair to check for lice.

School pupils can easily contract head lice due to the close proximity with other children and so once one child has nits, the infestation will often spread among a class.

An itchy head can be a sign that a youngster has lice and, if eggs are visible, it is important to immediately treat the condition.

Parents were warned not to use products as a precaution on clean hair, as the treatments do not prevent infestations from occurring.

Written by Donal Walsh

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