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Although the thought of talking about pinworms makes me shudder, the topic is worth discussing. Nearly a decade ago, a young member of my family complained at night that his buttocks were itchy. For a few nights, I checked the area and saw nothing unusual. Then I had an idea.
“Try pushing,” I told him. “Push like you’re going to poop in the potty.”
She followed my instructions, the anal area opened up, and what I saw was horrible. A tangle of white worms was wriggling inside her anus.
“Oh my god,” I whispered.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
“Nothing,” I replied. Then I ran to the bathroom, where I leaned over it and nearly threw up.
Never in my life have I seen anything as horrible as pinworms wriggling inside a child (my child!). And yet, I have seen many disgusting things!
If you ever have the "joy" of seeing pinworms in action, rest assured: they are much easier to eradicate than lice. The key to ridding your family of pinworms is understanding their life cycle. Pinworms are spread from person to person via the fecal-oral route. Kids poop on the potty, don't wash their hands properly, and voila, every kid in kindergarten has pinworms!
At night, adult worms move down to the anal area to lay their eggs. This is why children with pinworms only itch after the sun goes down. Children continually reinfect themselves by scratching their buttocks, leaving eggs under their fingernails, and putting their fingers in their mouths.
As with lice , over-the-counter pinworm medications treat the live worms but do not kill the eggs. To interrupt the pinworm life cycle, first treat the live worms with medications you can buy at the drugstore and repeat the treatment two weeks later. At the same time, keep your child's bottom covered. Children with pinworms should wear either a diaper or underwear at all times, except when in the bath. Once you cut off access to the anus, the worms can no longer reproduce. This can be difficult in a home where children prefer to run around naked, but keeping the bottom covered is crucial to getting rid of pinworms.
When treating children for pinworms, parents should also open window blinds (the eggs don't like sunlight), file fingernails (so the eggs can't get stuck in them), and clean bathroom surfaces with a cleaner to remove any eggs that might be hanging around. Since the eggs are too small to see, you should assume they're everywhere in your bathroom. Yuck!
In summary, if your child complains of anal itching at night, talk to your pediatrician about the possibility of pinworms, and cut off access to the anus!
For more information, you can consult this site on children's hygiene .
