Threadworms

Threadworms (also called pinworms) are tiny worms that live in your poo. They're common in children and spread easily from one person to another. You can treat them without seeing a doctor.

You may spot threadworms in your poo. The worms look like threads of white cotton and are about 1cm long.

You might also see them around your child's bottom (anus). The worms usually come out at night while your child is sleeping.

Other symptoms include:

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

Less common symptoms include:

• weight loss
• wetting the bed
• irritated skin around the anus

If you or your child have threadworms, you can get advice and treatment straight from a pharmacy. The pharmacist may suggest you speak to a doctor if that's needed.

Medicine kills the threadworms, but it doesn't kill their eggs. The eggs can live for up to 2 weeks outside the body.

So there are hygiene steps you can follow to stop yourself getting infected again. Keep them up for 2 weeks if you're taking medicine, or for 6 weeks if you're not.

• wash your hands and scrub under your fingernails, particularly before eating, after using the toilet or after changing nappies
• encourage children to wash their hands regularly
• shower every morning
• rinse toothbrushes before using them
• keep fingernails short
• wash sleepwear, sheets, towels and soft toys (at a hot temperature) every day for several days after treatment
• disinfect kitchen and bathroom surfaces, using hot water
• vacuum and dust with a damp cloth
• make sure everyone in the household wears underwear at night and changes it in the morning

• don't shake clothing or bedding, because this stops eggs from landing on other surfaces
• don't share towels or flannels
• don't bite your nails or suck your thumbs or fingers

Mebendazole is the main medicine used to treat threadworm infection. You can buy it over the counter from your local pharmacy, or a doctor can prescribe it. It usually comes as a chewable tablet or a liquid that you swallow.

Treat everyone in your household who is over 2 years old, even if they have no symptoms.

If you need to treat a child under 2 years old, or if you're pregnant or breastfeeding, tell the pharmacist. Treatment might not be suitable, and you may need to speak to a doctor.

If you cannot take medicine, you can treat threadworms with hygiene methods for 6 weeks.

Threadworm infection affects young children most often. They tend to forget to wash their hands, and they share toys with other children.

People who are in close contact with someone who has threadworms are also at high risk of catching it. That's why everyone in the household needs to be treated when one person has a threadworm infection.

Threadworms spread when their eggs are swallowed. The worms lay eggs around your bottom (anus) or vagina, and this can make your bottom itchy. When you scratch, the eggs get stuck on your fingers. From there they can pass on to anything you touch, including:

• clothes
• toys
• toothbrushes
• kitchen or bathroom surfaces
• bedding
• food

Other people can pick up the eggs if they touch these surfaces and then touch their mouth. The eggs can survive up to 2 weeks. Once the eggs are swallowed, the larvae hatch in the gut and take 1 to 2 months to mature into threadworms.

Children can get threadworms again after they've been treated, if they get the eggs in their mouth. That's why it's important to encourage children to wash their hands regularly.