How To Get Rid Of Threadworms

Threadworms (pinworms) are tiny worms in your poo. They're common in children and spread easily. Y'all can care for them without seeing a GP.

Check if it'due south threadworms

You can spot worms in your poo. They look like pieces of white thread.

You might also encounter them around your child'southward lesser (anus). The worms commonly come out at night while your child is sleeping.

See what threadworms look like in poo

Brown lump of poo with small, thin, white worms in it, on white tissue paper.

Other symptoms can include:

extreme itching around the anus or vagina, particularly at night
irritability and waking up during the night

Less common signs of worms include:

weight loss
wetting the bed
irritated peel effectually the anus

A pharmacist tin can aid with threadworms

Y'all can buy medicine (mebendazole) for threadworms from pharmacies. This is usually a chewable tablet or liquid you swallow.

Treat everyone in your household, even if they exercise not have symptoms.

Tell the pharmacist if you demand to treat a child nether ii, or if you lot're pregnant or breastfeeding. Treatment might not be suitable and y'all may need to speak to a GP.

Discover a chemist's

Things you should do at home

Medicine kills the threadworms, just it does not impale the eggs. Eggs can live for up to two weeks exterior the body.

There are things y'all can practise to cease becoming infected again.

Do

wash hands and scrub under fingernails – particularly before eating, after using the toilet or changing nappies
encourage children to wash hands regularly
bathe or shower every morn
rinse toothbrushes before using them
keep fingernails short
launder sleepwear, sheets, towels and soft toys (at a hot temperature)
disinfect kitchen and bathroom surfaces
vacuum and dust with a damp cloth
make sure children wear underwear at night – change it in the morn

Don't

exercise not milk shake article of clothing or bedding, to preclude eggs landing on other surfaces
do non share towels or flannels
do non bite nails or suck thumbs and fingers

Nursery, schoolhouse and work

If yous or your kid has threadworms there's no need to stay off nursery, school or work.

How threadworms spread

Threadworms spread when their eggs are swallowed. They lay eggs around your bottom (anus), which arrive itchy. The eggs get stuck on your fingers when you scratch. They can then laissez passer on to annihilation y'all touch, including:

clothes
toys
toothbrushes
kitchen or bath surfaces
bedding
food
pets

Eggs can pass to other people when they touch these surfaces and then impact their oral cavity. They take around 2 weeks to hatch.

Children can become threadworms again later they've been treated for them if they get the eggs in their mouth. This is why it's of import to encourage children to wash their easily regularly.

Folio concluding reviewed: 26 Jan 2021
Next review due: 26 January 2024