Like head lice infection, threadworm infestation is very common, yet many parents do not know how to recognize if their child has threadworm.
Diagnosis may be complicated by the fact that many children with threadworm are symptom-free, yet can still infect those around them. The School Nurse is very well placed to assist in the diagnosis, management and prevention of this common parasitic infection.
Threadworm known as pinworm, or Enterobius vermicularis, is prevalent throughout the temperate zones of the world and is the most common helminthic (parasitic worm) infection in the UK. Threadworms are often described as looking like 'small threads of slowly-moving white cotton' and are best seen at night, as this is when the females usually emerge from the anus to lay their eggs.
The Threadworm Lifecycle
Eggs on the fingers and under the finger nails transfer between children in schools and nurseries, and to other members of the family. Eggs are transferred into the mouth and swallowed. After the eggs are ingested, they hatch in the duodenum and reproduce in the large intestine.
Once the eggs have been swallowed, they hatch out in the gut, and the adult worms cling to the gut wall.
Female threadworms come out of the bottom at night and lay eggs. The sticky eggs cause itching, so when the bottom is scratched...
... the eggs are transferred to the fingers and then to the mouth which continues the cycle.
Parents will need reassurance that threadworms are not due to a poor diet or unclean living conditions and can affect anyone. Our Threadworm Factfile or Information Leaflet can be used to help dispel many of the myths surrounding threadworms.
