From top to bottom, let's address the issue of threadworms.
Threadworms, also known as pinworms or Enterobius Vermicularis, are a common infection in pre-school children. They are a parasite of the gut. The eggs, which cannot be seen by the naked eye are ingested and travel down to the small intestine where they hatch. They become adults in two to six weeks and then travel down to the large intestine, where they live for about six weeks. Here they mate and the female worms travel to the anus; she lays her eggs on the skin around the anus. The sticky mucous that covers the eggs is extremely irritant to the skin and causes intense itching. When the child scratches, the eggs get under the finger nails and accidentally ingested, and so the life cycle continues.
How do you know your child has threadworm? The most common symptom is intense itching around the anus especially at night when the female worm comes out to lay them. Other symptoms include loss of appetite, weight loss, grumpiness, difficulty sleeping, bed wetting and abdominal pain if the infestation is particularly heavy. Sometimes there are no symptoms at all and all you see are worms around the anus or in the child's stool.
If you are still not sure about whether your child has threadworm or not you can also perform the sticky tape test. In this test you apply sticky tape to the anus first thing in the morning before wiping your child's bottom. If there are any eggs, they will stick to the tape. Put the tape on a glass slide or a specimen container provided by your GP and bring it to your GP surgery for your doctor to have a look for the eggs.
How do you treat threadworm? To get rid of the worms themselves, anti-worm drugs known as "anti-helminthics" are the drugs of choice. Medication is recommended only if worms have been seen or eggs have been detected. These drugs are Mebendazole and Piperazine both given as a single dose and repeated after 14 days if the problem persists.
Strict hygiene measures are extremely important, such a rigorous hand washing, keeping nails short, not sharing towels, washing night wear daily, take measures to avoid night-time scratching. The whole family should be treated if one member has threadworm.
If you are in any doubt, make sure you consult your doctor.
