Intestinal worms are parasites that can live inside us without obvious signs, stealthily undermining our health. Unchecked, they can lead to complications from bowel obstruction to loss of appetite, loss of weight, anaemia, lung infection and liver congestion.
According the World Health Organisation (WHO), chronic worm infections have also been linked to stunted growth, slowed intellectual development, attention deficit and learning disabilities.
Anyone is susceptible to worm infestation, but children are most vulnerable. A Cape Town study (published in African Health Sciences) found that where families live in shacks without proper sanitation, more than 90% of children can be infected with soil-transmitted worms. The overall rate among schoolchildren in a low-income but well-serviced community was 58%.
Worm eggs can be found everywhere from contaminated soil, food, water, utensils and surfaces, to human and animal faeces, toilet seats, door handles and pet fur. They can be ingested from unwashed hands, breathed in, or enter through the skin.
There are numerous varieties of worms, from roundworms (25cm long, found in the gut) to whipworms (about 4cm long, given to attaching themselves to the lining of the bowel, where they can cause bleeding).
Pinworms or “threadworms”, from 2 to 13mm long, are particularly common and unpleasant. At night the adult female passes out of the anus and lays eggs outside it, causing itching.
Through scratching, eggs can get under fingernails and be spread elsewhere or reinfest the host if he puts his fingers in his mouth. In girls, the worms may occasionally infest the vagina, causing discharge.
Infestations often go undetected, but signs to watch for – apart from itchy bottoms and scratching – are abdominal bloating and discomfort, diarrhoea, increased appetite without weight gain, or loss in appetite, and unexplained coughing, says Umhlanga GP Dr Deseré Ferreira. “It’s advisable for parents to inspect the toilet after their child has passed a stool – many people don’t realise that the worms can be seen with the naked eye!”
The easiest and most effective prevention is frequent hand washing. Make it routine in your family, not only after they’ve used the bathroom, but also before meals, whenever they arrive home, and after playing outside or with pets. Also be sure to wash all fruit and vegetables well, and to cook all meat products thoroughly.
But for all these precautions, infestations are still possible, and because they can be hard to detect, it’s important to deworm your family and your pets every six months – especially if you have young children, says Ferreira.
Children can be dewormed from a year old, using a liquid medication rather than pills. Ask your pharmacist about the best dose for their size and weight. The medication will kill any adult worms in the digestive system, but not the eggs, which is why you need to repeat the deworming every six months.
“If the over-the-counter medication doesn’t solve the problem, your healthcare provider can prescribe a broader spectrum solution,” says Fereirra. “I always advise the whole family as well as caregivers to deworm together with the patient.”
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