Lice a growing problem among Ras Al Khaimah schoolgirls

There is growing incidence of head and body lice among schoolgirls here, and school principals complain that they are not armed with enough anti-lice shampoo to combat the menace. "Things get worse in summer when people sweat more," said Aisha Al Naqbi, principal of Kadrah Secondary School for Girls, who blamed the medical district for not providing schools with adequate anti-lice shampoo.

"Parental ignorance has made the situation worse. We usually call parents and tell them how important it is to teach their children personal hygiene," she said. Whenever the school receives its supply of anti-lice shampoo, every girl who needs it is given a bottle. "If the girl is too little we call in her mother and ask her to pick up the shampoo. We also tell parents how the shampoo should be used."

Miriam Ahmed, vice-principal of the Al Munayee Secondary School for Girls, said that because of the limited number of girls at schools in remote areas, it is easy to spot those with the infestation. When this happens, the school asks for more anti-lice shampoo. "But if the parents work with the school, the problem could be prevented," she said.

Dr Iman Ibrahim of the School Health Department, said about 6,000 public schoolgirls out of about 16,000 have head and body lice. "But only 1,100 bottles of shampoo were received," she said, so more had to be bought. The situation is even worse among schoolgirls in remote regions, she said. These areas are supposed to receive larger quantities of shampoo, but instead all schools receive equal amounts.

She said parents have been uncooperative and pay the problem scant attention. Some even become upset with the nurses when informed that their daughters are infested with lice.
She said that in order to avoid a fresh infestation, the treatment of lice should not be limited to the elimination of the lice and nits from an infested girl, but because infestation spreads on contact, all members of the family should be treated when required.