![]() Apply a zinc ointment or other medicine to help stop the itching. Hygiene measures should be continued for another two weeks following the initial treatment.Īlthough medicine takes care of the worm infection, the itching may continue for about a week. All household contacts and caretakers of the infected person should be treated at the same time. Treatment involves two doses of medication, best administered on an empty stomach, with the second dose being given two weeks after the first dose. There is a risk of transmission between family members so the chances of being infected if somebody has been diagnosed are high, even if no symptoms are present.īoth medications block the worm's ability to absorb glucose, effectively killing it within a few days. Oral medication such as mebendazole or albendazole should be given to everybody in the household. The “tape test” should be done on three consecutive mornings to increase the chance of finding pinworm eggs. This test should be done as soon as the person wakes up in the morning before they wash, bathe, go to the toilet, or get dressed. The eggs stick to the tape and the tape can be placed on a slide and looked at under a microscope. This “test” is done by firmly pressing the adhesive side of clear, transparent cellophane tape to the skin around the anus. Pinworm eggs can be collected and examined using the “tape test” as soon as the person wakes up. You might also see them on your child's underwear in the morning. They look like tiny pieces of white thread and are really small - about as long as a staple. You also might see the worms in the toilet after your child goes to the bathroom. If your child has a pinworm infection, you can see worms on the skin near the anal region or on underwear, pyjamas or sheets, about two or three hours after your child has fallen asleep. Diagnosis is made by identifying the worm or its eggs. Itching during the night in a child’s perianal area strongly suggests pinworm infection. In the absence of host autoinfection, infestation usually lasts only four to six weeks. Contaminated fingers can then carry pinworm eggs to the mouth, where they go back into the body, or stay on various surfaces, where eggs can survive for two to three weeks.įortunately, most eggs dry out within 72 hours. When someone scratches the itchy area, microscopic pinworm eggs transfer to their fingers. They lay eggs on the skin right around the anus, which triggers itching in that area, usually at night. From the small intestine, pinworm larvae go to the large intestine, where they live as parasites (with their heads attached to the inside wall of the bowel).Ībout one to two months later, adult female pinworms leave the large intestine through the anus (the opening where bowel movements come out). The eggs pass into the digestive system and hatch in the small intestine. clothing (especially underwear and pyjamas).These eggs are light and float in the air and can be found on contaminated hands and surfaces, such as: Pinworms get into the body when people ingest or breathe in the microscopic pinworm eggs.
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