Are head lice a problem for kids in Taiwan? They are a frequent problem in Australia. Not a very nice topic I know!
It is dependent of where you are located. As far as I know, it is not common in Taipei, to the extent that almost every incident gets its fair share of news exposure.
That being said, the situation seems to have worsened recently according to the CDC – up to 20 incidents alone in Taipei (2006-2007). If you are worried, you should examine with the fine comb method. It is effective and easy enough to conduct on a daily basis. (Probably good for the hair, too!)
I see anti-mite and some other kind of anti-something (I can’t remember right now) laundry detergent prominently featured in the store laundry product section.
Don’t know if this is related but it obviously there to fill a need.
Mites are a different kind of story. The mites we talk about are usually house dust mites, which do not bite or harm healthy humans. Their faeces cause allergic symptoms though, which is already prevalent throughout Taiwan. Mites hate direct sunlight, but since Taiwan is so rainy and damp (and the cities are really just concrete jungles, with no yards, etc.) it is difficult to put sheets and furnitures out in the sun on a regular basis. So in this sense, yes, the anti-mites are there to fill a need.
Thanks Dale for that info.
Our boy might benefit from having his bed sheets and pj’s washed in that stuff. I’ve been wondering if he is having some allergy problems.
I’ll give it a try.
TainanCowboy,
My nieces suffer from allergies and the cleaning co. told us to remove all those plastic play mats from their rooms, as mites love to live in the gaps and eat all the dust etc that gets caught in them. They also have a machine like a vacuum cleaner that steam-cleans, apparently to kill all the mites. So maybe putting the clothes etc in the drier would work? Also, some of the laundry detergents here are pretty harsh so your son could have a reaction to them if they are not rinsed out of the clothing properly.
Just a couple of ideas.
So I’m guessing that it’s not very prevalent in Taiwan? My daughter just got her hair cut and the person asked me what the white spots were. I alost fell out of my chair but recognized them as nits (lice eggs) from previous bouts with lice when my older children were in grade school.
Is there an over-the-counter treatment for them here, like Rid in the US? Or am I going to have to take her to a doctor?
[quote=“kjmillig”]So I’m guessing that it’s not very prevalent in Taiwan? My daughter just got her hair cut and the person asked me what the white spots were. I alost fell out of my chair but recognized them as nits (lice eggs) from previous bouts with lice when my older children were in grade school.
Is there an over-the-counter treatment for them here, like Rid in the US? Or am I going to have to take her to a doctor?[/quote]
Yes there is, just go to a pharmacy and tell them there is lice. If you don’t speak the language (I didn’t know the word for lice and still don’t) gestures do the trick!!
Its a small sachet of shampoo like stuff, about 20-25 NTD and is pretty effective. When we first landed here, it was really rainy and damp and my daughter with her thick her got the lice in her hair. I don’t know if she picked it up from taxis or they came of their own, but I was very pregnant and got frantic and used this stuff…once the lice was cleared, it never came back. Although she goes to school now and I keep an eye out for nits and scratching, so far there has been no re-occurrence.
One important part to irradicating lice is the lice comb. Most medications will kill the lice but not the unborn eggs. So you will need to treat multiple times over a period of a few weeks, as well as daily combing to ensure the infestation is totally cleaned up… Our daughter did get a couple years ago on a trip home to the UK :fume:
Though that said, not sure if they sell them in Taiwan.
Yes, I haven’t seen the lice combs, but a very fine toothed comb usually does the trick…although I didn’t think of that when we were going through the lice phase. 
Head lice have been an issue at least a couple of times at the European school in Taipei. I’m not sure that it is just limited to this school and that they take quite a proactive stance against such problems though.
Mites. Its funny that should be brought up. I was watching a shopping channel on T.V. the other day, or I should say glimpsed as I didn’t see the whole article, but they were selling a mite scarer for want of a better word. I have little idea how it was supposed to work other than producing a certain frequency which mites don’t like, scaring them away or killing them I think so as to relieve allergy sufferers from their greatest cause of suffering. At least that’s how they were marketing it. I suppose I should look it up at least as my missus often has cases of the sneezeywheezes as well as blotches from time to time.
When I first got here back in the mid 80’s it was a widespread problem…That, and rotten teeth.
Mites have ears?
Having done an internet search it looks like most arachnids and insects can hear through some kind of tympanal organ. Not entirely sure exactly how they do it. I assume mites do something similar.
God I’m bored.