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Causes
By Mayo Clinic staffYou can get lice by coming into contact with either lice or their eggs. Eggs hatch in about one week. Lice can't fly or walk on the ground. They spread by:
- Head-to-head or body-to-body contact. This may occur as children or family members play or interact closely.
- Close proximity of stored belongings. Storing infected clothing in closets, lockers or on side-by-side hooks at school, or storing personal items such as pillows, blankets, combs and stuffed toys in close proximity at home can permit lice to spread.
- Sharing items. These may include clothing, headphones, brushes, combs, hair decorations, towels, blankets, pillows and stuffed toys.
- Contact with contaminated furniture. Lying on a bed, sitting in furniture or even using a toilet seat recently used by someone infected with lice can spread them. Head lice live for up to two days off the body.
- Sexual contact. All three forms of lice can spread in this manner.
