US mother arrested after child nearly dies from severe head lice infestation

A mother-of-two has been arrested after her child nearly died from severe head lice infestation. Photo / Supplied

A 4-year-old girl suffered from such a severe head-lice infestation, doctors were left "horrified".

The little girl, who was admitted to a US hospital last month, was so sick she could barely walk.

Her 26-year-old mother, Shyanna Nicole Singh, allegedly claimed she "didn't notice the lice".

The Indiana mum has since been arrested after police were notified by hospital staff.

The little girls needed four blood transfusions because the parasites had reportedly depleted the oxygen in her blood to dangerously low levels.

The hospital declared her "as a near fatality" because of her extremely low haemoglobin levels, according to the Lexington Herald Leader.

Both of Singh's daughters suffered from head lice, and her youngest child had dangerously low haemoglobin levels. Photo / Supplied

The Mayo Clinic explains haemoglobin to be a protein in your red blood cells that carries oxygen to your body's organs and tissues and transports carbon dioxide from your organs and tissues back to your lungs.

A normal haemoglobin level is 12 grams per deciliter, but the girl's was recorded at just 1.7, police said.

A police officer said it was unlike anything he had seen before.

The girl's 6-year-old sister was also infested with lice.

While her haemoglobin levels were still low at 8.7 grams, it was not as critical as her younger sister's, the publication reported.

Singh's 4-year-old daughter was admitted to hospital and doctors described the lice infestation as "horrifying". Photo / Supplied

Interviews with school staff revealed the eldest sister had had lice for three days straight in March before she was absent for 31 days.

The sisters have since been removed from their mother and child services has placed them in the care and custody of their grandparents.

The girls' grandmother told police she asked Singh how the lice got so bad, and the mum responded that "she didn't notice, and that [she] was just in a fog," according to an affidavit.

The sisters also had lice in November last year.

Singh has been charged with several counts of neglect. Photo / Supplied

Singh was allegedly "too lazy to help comb them out and it would start all over again", the grandmother said in her testimony.

Singh has been charged with several counts of neglect, including neglect of a dependent, neglect of a dependent resulting in bodily injury, and neglect of a dependent resulting in serious bodily injury. She is due to make her first appearance in court.