Pinworms develop as a result of unhygienic habit of not
washing hands before having food. They are small worms
who resemble to small thread pieces and cause itching in
the anus area. Pinworms infect humans only and reside in
the intestines. Every school going kid encounters this
problem at one time or the other. They can touch another
kid infected with pinworm or an object having the eggs
of the pinworm.
The eggs of the pinworm’s eggs get on the fingernails
and that why it is a good idea to wash the hands
regularly. If the food is eaten without washing hands,
these eggs go inside the body, by the digestive system.
In the small intestine, the eggs hatch and the pinworms
move towards the large intestine. There, they cling onto
the walls of the intestine and stay there for few weeks
to mature. After that the female pinworms go towards
large intestine’s end to lay eggs near the anus region.
Usually the eggs are laid at night and that is the time
when the area itches. It takes one to two months time
period after the consumption of the eggs, for the
maturing of the pinworms who lay new eggs. The eggs get
hatched on the anus’s skin and the baby pinworms will
crawl inside the body in order to grow.
Pinworms eggs are found anywhere like on the kitchen
counter, school desk or bed. They are also found on
utensils, clothes and towels. When outside the human
body, the eggs can live up to two weeks. Within that
time period when they are touched, there is a chance to
enter the human body and flourish. Pinworms are
contagious and can spread from one human to another.
Also they can spread by air as the eggs are lightweight
and the wind can blow them and they can be breathed in
or swallowed by anyone. The child can intake more eggs
when he scratches his bottom and doesn’t wash his/her
hands immediately.
Children infected with pinworms can see worms in their
stool after they pass and even on the underwear. The
worms look like small white threads. But the eggs aren’t
visible to the naked eyes. If the child observes these
symptoms he/she should inform the adults about the
condition. The itching caused by pinworms can be so bad
that it can wake the child in the middle of the night
and make him/her squirm. The doctors usually prescribe
some medicine to kill the pinworms. The doctors also
take samples from underneath the fingernail and the anus
to check for eggs. The medicine will take about two
weeks to get rid of the worms completely. If the itching
is very irritating and wakes the child in the middle of
the night, a cream is prescribed by the doctor.
Sometimes other members of the house will also be asked
to take the same medicine as a precautionary measure.
The parents should wash all the clothes, towels and
sheets used by the pinworm infected child.
The best way to deal with pinworms is taking
precautionary steps in the first place. The child must
cultivate a habit of washing hands before eating food,
after using the bathroom and after playing outdoors. The
fingernails should also be clipped regularly to not to
allow eggs depositing there. The eggs also hang onto
clothes, so it is a good habit to change underwear
daily. And other clothes should be washed after every
few days.
