‘Wet-comb hair to search for head lice’

Parents are being urged to screen their children weekly for an age-old pest — head lice — when they return to school from next week.

Because head lice have become resistant to some pharmaceutical treatments, pharmacists are urging parents to “wet comb” their children’s hair to search for lice at least twice a week.

The Irish Pharmacy Union (IPU), the representative body for community pharmacists, says infestations are most common among children aged four to 11.