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BRING THREADWORMS OUT INTO THE OPEN AND TACKLE THIS ITCHY PROBLEM – advice for School Nurses
Sharon White, School and Public Health Nurses Association (SAPHNA)
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. E vermicularis is a 2-13 mm, white, slender nematode that dwells in the caecum, the appendix, and the ascending colon of humans. 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.
Following ingestion of the eggs, the larvae hatch in the small intestine and establish themselves in the colon, reaching maturity in approximately two weeks. Download full article
