Worms Season Is Upon Us: Here's How To Tell If Your Kid Needs Treating For It

I don’t mean to alarm you but the kids are back at school and nursery, which means parents need to be on the lookout for nits and (I’m so sorry) worms.Specifically threadworms, which – I didn’t realise until I had kids – is quite a common problem for young ’uns.Threadwords – or pinworms, as they’re sometimes known – are small white worms that can be found in your child’s poo or around their anus. (I really hope you’re not having breakfast while reading this.) They look like little bits of thread, hence the name.They spread when you swallow the tiny eggs they lay, which can be found on other people’s hands, fingernails and things that get touched a lot (think school desks or toys), per KidsHealth.When the eggs make their way through the digestive system, they hatch and then a couple of months later the adult female worms lay eggs on the skin around the anus, which can make it itchy.Kids then scratch their bottoms, get more eggs on their nails and hands, and the cycle repeats itself.According to the NHS, the worms usually come out at night while your child is sleeping. This is why parents are encouraged to use a torch to check their kid’s bottom while they are asleep – especially if you’re not able to inspect their poo properly for signs of the parasite.Other signs of worms include:extreme itching around the anus or vagina, particularly at nightirritability and waking up during the nightweight losswetting the bedirritated skin around the anus.How to treat wormsThe good news is you don’t usually have to go to the doctor’s about worms. Pharmacists can treat the issue, usually with mebendazole.Everyone in the household over two years old will need to take it, even if you don’t think you have worms. (If you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, let the pharmacist know.)Unfortunately the medicine kills the worms, but not the eggs (which annoyingly can live for up to a fortnight outside the body).So, in addition to everyone taking medicine, you’ll need to adopt a load of extra hygiene measures in your daily life and home to get rid of them.These include:regularly washing your hands, scrubbing nails (get a nail brush as this will keep them nice and clean) and keeping nails short,encouraging your kids to wash hands regularly and keep their hands out of their mouths,showering every morning,rinsing toothbrushes before using them,washing bedding, towels and toys on a hot wash (60C) for several days after treatment, disinfecting kitchen and bathroom surfaces,hoovering regularly and dusting with a damp cloth,making sure everyone wears underwear at night and changes it in the morning. The NHS advises against shaking clothing or bedding (as this can, rather grimly, disperse the eggs around your house), sharing towels or flannels, and biting nails or sucking thumbs and fingers.The health service adds that kids with worms can still go to nursery or school.Related...The One Painkiller You Should Never Give To Kids With Chickenpox'He Went Downhill Quickly': Why This Mum Wants Every Parent To Know About RSVMeasles Or A Cold? How To Tell Them Apart As Cases Expected To Rise

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