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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a new treatment for head lice last month for patients ages 4 years and older.

It's called Natroba.

Head lice are parasitic insects found on people's head, eyebrows, and eyelashes.

They feed on human blood several times a day but are not known to cause disease.

Including the newest treatment, there are several over the counter and and prescription medicines you can use to rid you or your child of lice.

There are also home remedies that may be more cost effective, but the best medicine is strong prevention.

Jarod Wells reports explains in this KHQA Safe Family Health Report.

Head lice are spread mainly by direct head-to-head contact with a person who already has head lice. School nurses like Laura Henke with Quincy Public Schools say the spread of lice is extremely common in the fall when kids come back to school. But winter is another time lice thrive.

Henke said, "It is from being in close quarters, constantly around other, you're just not outside as much."

Lice don't jump, but they do move by crawling. They can easily travel from child to child because children play closely together and often in large groups.

Henke said, "Especially this time of year, don't share hats, don't share coats, clothing, combs, hair accessories. Once you get them you have to treat them aggressively and hopefully stop the spread."

If your child does catch head lice you'll notice them scratching a lot.

Henke said, "You'll especially notice them scratching behind their ears and at the nape of their neck."

You can also see the lice. The eggs or nits will be attached to the hair shaft and the actual lice you can see crawling. There are plenty of over the counter and prescription solutions to ridding your child of head lice. But there are also some cost effective home remedies.

Henke said, "We also have used mayonnaise. The high fat content in mayonnaise will suffocate the nits."

Once you kill the lice you need to use a lice comb to get rid of all the eggs. It only takes one egg to keep the infestation going. Then you have to treat your house. Any bedding or pillows must be washed at temperatures higher than 130 degrees. You need to vacuum the carpet and couches. Anything that is not able to be washed should be put in a dark bag and kept in it for 10 to 12 hours to suffocate the lice.

As you heard QPS School Nurse Laura Henke say, the best thing to do is talk to your kids about preventing lice.

Make sure they do not share any type of clothing, hats or anything that goes on or over their heads.