A pinworm infection is the most common type of human intestinal infestation that affects millions of children between the ages of 5-10 years. Pinworms are thin, white, small pin-shaped worms that are mostly found in the colon and rectum. The worst thing about pinworms is that they are highly contagious. Your kid may be infected with pinworms if he or she accidentally swallows or breathes in their eggs. Children can eat or drink something that is contaminated with pinworms eggs. Sadly, they get the infections. Pinworm eggs live in contaminated surfaces such as clothing, beddings, towels, kitchen counters, toilets, toys, bathroom, food and, bed-lines. The good thing about pinworms is that they do not cause any serious harm. Getting rid of them does not take long too. This means that you should not get too much worried if your kid has pinworms.
Therefore, these are signs that there are pinworms in your kids.1) Itching In The Anal or Vaginal Area
Once the eggs find the way to your kids’ body, they stay in the intestine until they hatch and are mature. The female pinworms will then move to the anal region and lay their eggs. The presence of the eggs in the anal cavity causes never-ending itching and irritation, especially at night. This website has useful information that can help you get rid of the pain, skin rashes and irritation that is caused by the itching. When a person scratches the itchy area, the eggs are transferred onto their fingernails. The eggs can survive for several hours on your hands. This means that any other object that you will touch with the infected hands will lead to the eggs being transferred to those objects and can survive on the contaminated areas for three weeks. That is how easily pinworms are transferred from one person to the other. If you none that your kid has anal itching, they probably have pinworms.2) Restless sleep
If your kid is having some restless sleep, it might be a sign that he/she has pinworms in the body. The restless sleep is usually caused by the intense itching, scratching, and the discomfort when the worms are moving to lay eggs. This causes irritation and poor sleep to your kid. Once your kid has fallen asleep, you might see the worms in the anal region or on their underwear in the morning.3) Intermittent Abdominal Pain
If your kids keep on complaining of recurrent abdominal pain, they might be suffering from pinworms infections. To be so sure, try looking for pinworms in the areas around the anus or your child’s stool.Those are the three common signs that there are pinworms in your kid. If you notice any of the sign, kindly seek for medication. Infected kids can take a tablet that kills the worms, and in two weeks, the eggs will be all gone. Regular cleaning of surfaces and washing your hands before eating can prevent the spread of pinworms. Also, keep your child’s nails short so that there is no room for eggs to collect. Washing laundry with hot water and drying them in high heat is a great way to kill the pinworms eggs.