Most of us, at some point in our lives, have experienced having “kuto” (Aminin!). Back in my childhood days, I remember we had to use ‘suyod’ or nit comb to get the lice and nymphs (small lice). Sometimes, we have to use our bare hands when we’re bored (no gadgets that time, only TV). It took me months or years probably to be ‘kuto-free’.
Now that I’m a mother, I realized that no matter how I try to keep my daughter free from ‘kuto’, there is still no assurance that she won’t get even a single one3. And here’s why:
- A louse (singular of lice) can produce up to 100 eggs or ‘nits’ (‘lisa’) which will hatch in 7 days. S0 just imagine what a single ‘kuto’ can do to our child in a span of 1 week, or a month if we will not do anything about it!
- A louse can live up to 3 days even when it’s not on the head. So if there’s a louse on the sofa, and your child sits there, oh no! The same thing happens when sharing with other personal things such as combs, towels, hats, etc.
- Lice don’t have wings, they don’t fly or jump. But they can transfer from one person to another when you use things of a person infected with head lice (as mentioned above).
- Lice do not choose people. Whether you’re poor or rich, boy or girl, adult or kid, have short or long hair, they don’t care! As long as you have a scalp, they’ll live there.
- An adult louse hass a life span of 30 days but seriously, with the number of eggs a woman louse can produce, their numbers will still go up if left untreated.
- About one-third of elementary public school students in the Philippines suffer from head lice-related problems. But private school students can have it too, because like I said, lice don’t choose people.
I learned the facts above when I attended Lamoiyan Corporation’s Nationwide Oplan Alis Kuto campaign held at Guadalupe Elementary School, Cebu City last week. It was actually part of Lamoian’s Kilusang Kontra Kuto effort to educate the public on lice infestation issues, prevention tips and about the use of their product Licealiz, as a Head Lice Treatment Shampoo. Now for their second year, they partnered with the Department of Health, UP Manila College of Public Health, and Mommy Bloggers Philippines.
Photo from http://www.cykaniki.com/
The Licealiz caravan, has already started traveling to different schools and barangays all over the country to hold shampooing programs and lectures for students and their parents. From their data last year, they found that 47% of respondents from Visayas and 76% of respondents from Mindanao said that their children were bullied and teased for having head lice, causing some of them to miss school to avoid their peers. The parents, on the other hand, feel incompetent and embarrassed for being unable to prevent head lice from infesting their children.
“We want to remove the stigma associated with having kuto by educating communities on lice infestation issues,” said Lamoiyan Corporation Marketing Director Bing Cavestany. “We want to drive home the message that everyone can be potentially infested by kuto, that it’s not something to be ashamed about, and definitely not something to ridicule others for. We also hope to encourage these communities to unite and take action to solve this public health problem together,” shared Cavestany.
About Licealiz Head Lice Treatment Shampoo
Licealiz is a non-toxic head lice treatment shampoo that is clinically tested and proven to kill lice and nits. It is safe to use for children and adults. Recommended to use twice a week for treatment and once a week for prevention of lice recurrence. For more information about Licealiz, visit their Facebook page or Lamoiyan Corporation website.
