Pediculicide use
This article was originally published in The Tan Sheet
Executive Summary
Head lice treatments are applied "nearly as frequently" to noninfested children as to those carrying lice or eggs, Richard Pollack, PhD, Harvard School of Public Health, et al. report in the August issue of Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal. OTC permethrin and pyrethin (such as Pfizer's Nix and Bayer's Rid), Rx drugs (lindane) and alternative treatments (vegetable oil) often are overused as a result of diagnoses made by people without medical training. Of 541 subjects treated between April 1998 and October 1999, only 53.3% actually had an active infestation, researchers report. The California legislature voted 62-13 to ban the sale and use of lindane for head lice Aug. 21