Head Lice Alert!

When the word "kutu" is mentioned, one often envisions dirty poor children with unwashed hair and bodies. Well, the fact is, "kutu" is quite feared here too. Every few weeks, I would get a "Head Lice Alert" notice in the kids' school satchels.

I was stumped when I got the first notice. Surely, this couldn't be, I thought. I read and re-read the notice. That wasn't a joke. I asked around. Yep, head lice are a real problem among primary school kids. But fear not, there are many ways to get rid of these nasty little blood-sucking bugs. Just hop in to the local pharmacy and you'll find an entire shelf devoted to getting rid of head lice! There are head lice shampoo, head lice gel, head lice mousse, head lice powder, head lice solution - just take your pick. At least the treatment options seem hassle-free.

I remember when I got "kutu" on my head when I was in primary school. We were living in Langkawi at that time and we hung out with kampung kids, who understandably were very prone to catching head lice. The treatment was horrendous - kerosene. Imagine having fuel on your head! I don't know what's worse - the fact that you may turn into a human torch easily if there was some spark the moment your hair was drenched with kerosene or that the "kutu" might drive you mad if you didn't get rid of them. There wasn't much of a choice. So I had to be careful not to go near flames while I was having my "treatment". Of course after the incident I was sporting a near crew-cut style too!

So far, both Joshua and Joanne have been spared the head lice agony. Hopefully no head lice would ever take up residency on their heads. But I think I know why head lice are such a persistent problem. The weather could a be a factor. It's often so cold that some kids go without having a hair wash for more than a week! I suspect many of them do not take bath daily as well. Some might even blame it on the water restriction, I think. How convenient!

Just the thought of having "kutu" running around on the scalp is enough to make my skin crawl. Heaven help me. I hope I don't have kids coming back from school with heads full of "kutu"!

--