Should i worm my kids

This stops the spread of worms among family members. But there are several things you can do to stop this happening and prevent the spread of worms:.

Skip to content Skip to navigation. About worms in kids Worms are a type of parasite. Some rare symptoms include: visible worms — small, white and mm long often mistaken for bits of toilet paper! Does your child need to see a doctor about worms?

Topic: Infections and Parasites. Threadworms, also called pinworms, are tiny, very thin white worms about 5 millimetres long that live in the intestine and around the anus bottom. They are very common and widespread in Australia and are easily treated.

Although people of any age can get them, children are the most susceptible with the infection spread through worm eggs on contaminated surfaces. The symptoms that indicate the presence of the worms are poor appetite, unintentional weight loss, rashes on the buttocks, stomach pain, constipation or diarrhoea, frequent urination and fatigue. Thus, your child will be able to perform better.

Moreover, it also helps reduce worm infection that occurs in the community. Deworming will also lower the chances of hospital admission of kids owing to abdominal pain. Right from the age of two, a child should be dewormed regularly.

Children with recurrent worm infestations need repeated deworming. In addition, children living in endemic areas need en mass community-level deworming. Your doctor may ask you to help make the diagnosis of pinworm by placing a sticky piece of clear cellophane tape against the skin around your child's anus. Pinworm eggs will stick to the tape and can be seen under a microscope. The best time to do this is at night or in the morning before a bath when there's the most pinworm activity around the anus.

The doctor also might take some samples from under a child's fingernails to look for eggs. If your child has a pinworm infection, the doctor will recommend an over-the-counter or prescription antiworm medicine.

This is given in one dose and repeated in 2 weeks. The doctor may decide to treat the entire family, especially if your child has had a pinworm infection before. Although medicine takes care of the worm infection, the itching may continue for about a week.

So the doctor also might give your child a cream or other medicine to help stop the itching. Regular hand washing and routine household cleaning including frequent changing of underwear, and washing everyone's pajamas, towels, and bed linens also will help prevent the spread of a pinworm infection within the family. Call the doctor if your child complains of itchy skin or always seems to be scratching the anal or vaginal area.

Also ask about whether pinworms could be to blame if your child has trouble sleeping or has begun to wet the bed. Pinworms can irritate the urethra — the channel through which pee leaves the bladder and exits the body — and lead to bedwetting.