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Halloween is busy season for head lice, experts warn

Halloween is lots of fun, but the season brings a few unseen dangers. Lice infestations tend to jump during October as people try on costumes that may be infested with lice. Photo: Pixabay

The Halloween season may be a fun and exciting time for children as they get ready for parties and trick-or-treating, but it's also a popular time of year for head lice, according to experts.

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The director of Lice Clinics of America, Jessie Foley, said it takes only three seconds for one bug to be transferred from person to person.

Foley said August is the clinic's busiest month as students head back to school, but they also tend to see a spike in business around Halloween.

Lice can live up to 48 hours on plush material like hats, wigs, and costume masks. Foley is warning people about trying on plush masks or wigs when shopping for Halloween costumes.

Treatments at Lice Clinics of America cost $175 and take 90 minutes to complete, and are 99.2 to 100 percent effective in dehydrating and killing live lice and eggs, Foley said.

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