§ Mr. CotterTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what estimate he has made of the number of cases of head lice in schools for each health authority in England for each of the last five years; [18714]
(2) what advice is issued by his Department to health authorities to deal with the problem of head lice in schools; [18715]
(3) what his Department has done to promote best practice in dealing with head lice in schools. [18713]
§ Mr. BoatengInformation on the number of cases of head lice in schools is not collected centrally. In April 1996, the Department of Health launched a poster and leaflet campaign "The Prevention and Treatment of Head Lice". So far, over 1.5 million copies of the leaflet have been sent to parents, teachers and health professionals. The Department's publication, "Child Health in the Community: A Guide to Good Practice", issued to health and local authorities in September 1996, includes guidance on best practice in dealing with head lice in schools. We shall continue to work with the Department for Education and Employment to promote best practice, focusing on a "whole school approach"—where action is taken at the same time to detect and treat every case of head lice within the school thus minimizing opportunities for re-infestation. This approach is actively promoted by the voluntary organisation, Community Hygiene Concern, whose efforts we support through grant aid. In addition Consultants in Communicable Disease Control, who have local responsibility for public health programmes, are currently working on a review document on head lice.