Head lice are tiny insects that live on the scalp, where they lay their eggs. Head lice do not spread disease. Having head lice does not mean you are not clean.

Head lice can be the bane of many parents lives, the head louse is a tiny, wingless parasitic insect that lives among human hairs and feeds on extremely small amounts of blood drawn from the scalp. This is a very common infection which can be found in children ages 3 years to 12 years (girls more often than boys).

Although this may sound nasty, lice (the plural of louse) and can cause concern to many parents they are not dangerous and they don't spread disease, but they are contagious and can just be annoying. Their bites may cause a child's scalp to become itchy and inflamed, and persistent scratching may lead to skin irritation and even infection.

Tiny things but can be seen by the naked eye