Pinworms are small roundworms that can infest people; generally, the infection is contracted by involuntarily ingesting the eggs, which hatch in the intestine and become adult specimens. The females of these parasites migrate to the anus (the fecal-oral route) where they deposit other eggs, thus continuing their life cycle. To get rid of this parasitosis, a combination of medical treatments and excellent home hygiene measures are required.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Taking the Medications
Step 1. Take a dose of anti-parasite medication
Your doctor may prescribe this class of drugs (or recommend one over the counter), such as mebendazole, pyrantel pamoate, and albendazole. You will be instructed to take a dose of one of these medicines (follow your doctor's instructions) and wait two weeks.
These active ingredients work by killing the adult specimens which are completely eliminated, with the exception of the eggs that remain in the body
Step 2. Take another dose after two weeks
After 14 days of starting treatment, you need to take another dose of the same anthelmintic drug. The purpose of this further assay is to kill the new worms that have hatched from the eggs left in the intestine. It is essential to respect the two-week deadline, since in this time the drug can act on the parasites in the exact phase of their life cycle and kill them all without the need for further subsequent treatments.
Step 3. Treat all family members
Since pinworms can be easily passed from one person to another, the doctor will likely recommend that each family member take the two doses of anti-parasite medication. It is always better to be safe than sorry, as well as saving you the hassle of some family member showing signs of infection soon after the first infested person has healed.
Step 4. Know which drug is right for you
This is even more important if the patient is a child. Although these nematodes can technically be eradicated in six weeks of very strict hygiene measures (since their life cycle is just six weeks), it is actually very difficult to comply with such strict measures at home, especially when it comes to a child.
- The drugs have the advantage of being extremely effective in eradicating the infestation in two weeks;
- Hygiene measures can therefore be applied as a preventive intervention against relapses or future infestations.
Part 2 of 3: Sanitize the Home
Step 1. Know how pinworms spread
These worms can spread through direct contact with an infected person or by touching objects potentially contaminated with eggs, such as the toilet seat, bed, or other items. For these reasons, it is essential to comply with strict hygiene measures at home, to prevent possible infections between individuals living in the same dwelling and to promote the healing of the first infested person.
Step 2. Wash the toilet seat every day
Since parasites lay eggs around the anal area, it is important to clean the toilet bowl at least once a day to avoid contaminating other people, as well as preventing further infestation of the patient himself. Use a normal household detergent and water, a specific product is not necessary; use gloves when cleaning, to keep your hands clean.
Step 3. Wash your hands regularly, especially if you have the infestation
In particular, wash them carefully before meals and their preparation, as well as after being in the bathroom; in this way, you can get rid of the worms faster and avoid spreading the parasitosis.
Step 4. Change the bedding at least twice a week
If you want to effectively get rid of pinworms, it is important to replace the sheets and wash them to kill any eggs present. If you want to avoid contaminating yourself again, you also need to regularly wash your pajamas (or any other clothing you use for sleeping), in addition to the clothes you are wearing. This precaution allows you to eradicate parasitosis more quickly by eliminating the eggs that simply continue their life cycle and that make it more difficult for you to recover health and well-being.
Step 5. Avoid scratching the anal area
Since, as already mentioned, the female pinworms move to the anus to lay their eggs, this area becomes particularly irritated and itchy. Adults, but even more so children, tend to scratch themselves to relieve discomfort; however, this is one of the worst things you can do, as it immediately contaminates your hands with eggs, spreading them onto anything you touch afterwards. Therefore, if you want to reduce the spread of roundworms, you don't have to scratch around the anus.
Also avoid using ointments or other lotions to soothe the discomfort, because in this way the females go to deposit the eggs even deeper in the rectum or colon, aggravating the problem rather than improving it
Part 3 of 3: Diagnosing Parasitosis
Step 1. Recognize the symptoms of this infection
The sooner you diagnose it, the better, so you can start medical treatments and preventive hygiene measures as soon as possible. The most common signs and symptoms of pinworms are:
- Itching and irritation around the anus
- Possible signs of irritation or infection on the skin surrounding the anal area (especially in children, who tend to scratch more easily, causing an infection due to skin lesions)
- Difficulty sleeping (due to anal itching)
- Irritability (due to itching and lack of sleep);
- Occasional vaginal itching or irritation in girls (as, on rare occasions, female worms may enter the vagina instead of the anus).
Step 2. Test with duct tape
If you suspect that you or someone in your family has contracted the parasitosis, contact your doctor as soon as possible; as already mentioned, it is extremely important to come to a diagnosis early and follow a cure to get rid of the infestation as quickly as possible. To perform this test, your doctor asks you to take a piece of duct tape and lay the sticky side on the skin around the anus. remove it and put it in a plastic bag to take to the doctor, so that he can inspect it under a microscope for eggs, which are only visible with this tool. If the test gives positive results, you are diagnosed with pinworm infestation.
- Proceed with this method first thing in the morning, before you even take a shower or go to the bathroom.
- Make sure you are wearing gloves and wash your hands thoroughly to avoid spreading the eggs; also make sure that the adhesive tape does not come into contact with anything.
Step 3. Proceed with deworming anyway if you live with an infected person
If there is a person in the family who has been diagnosed with this parasitosis, it is extremely important to take medications (and put in place adequate hygiene measures) without having to check the actual presence of nematodes in your body. This is due to the fact that the chances that you are also infested are quite high, so it is better to act cautiously rather than having to deal with a more serious situation later; remember that the benefits of treatment outweigh the risks.
