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    Pinworms

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    Pieck Finger
    Pinworms, or Enterobius vermicularis, are small parasitic roundworms that infect the large intestine. Anyone can be infected, but preschool and school-aged children are most at risk. Many infected individuals experience intense itching around the rectum. Pinworms are spread through ingesting eggs from contaminated hands or objects. Treatment involves prescribed medication to kill the adult worms. Good hygiene practices like frequent handwashing can help prevent spread.

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    Pinworms

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    Pieck Finger
    69 views2 pages
    Pinworms, or Enterobius vermicularis, are small parasitic roundworms that infect the large intestine. Anyone can be infected, but preschool and school-aged children are most at risk. Many infected individuals experience intense itching around the rectum. Pinworms are spread through ingesting eggs from contaminated hands or objects. Treatment involves prescribed medication to kill the adult worms. Good hygiene practices like frequent handwashing can help prevent spread.

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    Pinworms, or Enterobius vermicularis, are small parasitic roundworms that infect the large intestine. Anyone can be infected, but preschool and school-aged children are most at risk. Many infected individuals experience intense itching around the rectum. Pinworms are spread through ingesting eggs from contaminated hands or objects. Treatment involves prescribed medication to kill the adult worms. Good hygiene practices like frequent handwashing can help prevent spread.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    69 views2 pages

    Pinworms

    Uploaded by

    Pieck Finger
    Pinworms, or Enterobius vermicularis, are small parasitic roundworms that infect the large intestine. Anyone can be infected, but preschool and school-aged children are most at risk. Many infected individuals experience intense itching around the rectum. Pinworms are spread through ingesting eggs from contaminated hands or objects. Treatment involves prescribed medication to kill the adult worms. Good hygiene practices like frequent handwashing can help prevent spread.

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    Division of Disease Control What Do I Need To Know?

    Pinworms
    (Enterobius vermicularis)

    What are pinworms?

    Pinworm infections are caused by a round worm called Enterobius vermicularis.

    Who is at risk for pinworm infections?

    Anyone can become infected. However, preschool and school-aged children, household contacts of infected
    children and people in a hospital, nursing home, or other group settings are more likely to become infected than
    other people.

    What are the symptoms of pinworm infections?

    Although not all infected people will have symptoms, many will experience itching around the rectum. Some
    females may also experience itching in the genital area.

    How soon do symptoms appear?

    Symptoms usually are noticed one to two months after infection.

    How are pinworms spread?

    Humans are the only known source of pinworms; pets and other animals do not have pinworms. People
    become infected when they eat the eggs of the worm. The worm matures inside the person and the adult female
    crawls out of the rectum at night to lay eggs.

    Transmission also can occur through objects that have been contaminated with human feces or contaminated by
    hands used to scratch the affected skin. This contamination then ends up on the hands of other people who may
    put their hands in their mouth, and thus, the egg is now eaten by another person. This is called a “fecal-oral
    transmission route.”

    When and for how long is a person able to spread the disease?

    A person will remain infectious for as long as there are worms laying eggs on the skin around his or her rectum.
    Pinworm eggs can remain infectious in an indoor environment for two to three weeks.

    How is a person diagnosed?

    Diagnosis can be made by seeing the adult worms around the rectum. As always, consult a health-care
    professional if you think you or your child has pinworms.

    What is the treatment?

    Your health-care provider can prescribe medications to kill the adult worms.

    Page 1 of 2
    Last Update: 01/16
    If left untreated, the intense itching and scratching associated with these infections will result in secondary
    bacterial infections. Some of these may be difficult to treat. Untreated people can continue to infect other
    people.

    Does past infection make a person immune?

    No. Re-infection with pinworms occurs easily.

    Should children or others be excluded from child care, school, work or other activities if they have
    pinworms?

    Children may return to child care if they are well enough to participate in activities and they have received their
    first treatment dose, have bathed and have trimmed and scrubbed their nails.

    All others may attend work, school and other activities provided good hygiene and hand-washing is practiced.

    What can be done to prevent the spread of pinworms?

    Treatment shortens the time during which pinworms can be spread. Hand washing is the most important
    preventive measure. People with pinworms should wash their hands frequently, especially after using the
    bathroom, and scratching affected skin and before preparing meals and eating. Infected people should bathe or
    preferably shower in the mornings to remove eggs from the rectal area. Frequent changes of underwear and
    bedding may help prevent re-infection. Families and staff and children in day cares may need to be treated as a
    group if repeated infections occur.

    Additional Information:
    Additional information is available by calling the North Dakota Department of Health at 800.472.2180.

    Resources:

    1. Red Book: 2015 Report of the Committee on Infectious Diseases. 30th ed. [Children in Out-Of-Home Care].
    Kimberlin, DW; Brady, MT; Jackson, MA; Long, SS. American Academy of Pediatrics. 2015: 132-151.
    2. Red Book: 2015 Report of the Committee on Infectious Diseases. 30th ed. [Pinworm]. Kimberlin, DW; Brady, MT;
    Jackson, MA; Long, SS. American Academy of Pediatrics. 2015: 621-622.

    Page 2 of 2
    Last Update: 01/16

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