"Why Is My Child Passing Worms in Stools!?"

The mere sight of a bunch of worms creeps people out- so much so that even the international reality show "Fear Factor" always has an episode where the contestants are put in a tub of worms.

Now imagine the plight of a child when he notices that he is passing worms in his stools.

Practically speaking it needs a whole lot of worms in your intestines to pass some in your stools, hence passing live worms in stool is not very common

What is more common is passing eggs of worms in the stools which will then infect another person if appropriate sanitation is not practiced.

"Worm infestation" is the medical term used to describe a condition where the child's gut has been harboring a lot of worms.

Now there are a many different kinds of worms that can infest a child:-

it can be a roundworm, a flatworm or a fluke (not going into their scientific names for the sake of simplicity)

Worms, or eggs of worms, can be found in blood and other tissues too but I will be writing about just the worms that reside in the intestines in this blog, as they are more commonly seen.

When to suspect worm infestation?

Worm infestation is commonly seen in developing countries such as ours, especially in poor households, where there is prevalence of open-air defecation and lack of proper sewage disposal.

Suspecting that a kid may be infested with worms can be tricky as the symptoms can be varied.

The child may complain of constipation, pain abdomen, itching in the body, or sometimes even cough.

Pinworms are very common in toddlers who complain of intense itching around their anus especially during night.

Some worms suck blood from the intestines so the child may be pale, lethargic, or may not be growing properly.

In fact, the only time you can be sure about worm infestation is when you actually see the worms in stools.

How did the worm enter the child's intestines?

Most of the worms are transmitted when the eggs of the worms are ingested by the child either by eating without washing hands properly, or by eating unwashed fruits/vegetables and undercooked meat.

These eggs are passed in stools by a person who has already been infested with worms and they then contaminate the environment and spread to new hosts.

Once inside a new host, the eggs hatch into adult worms inside the gut, which again lays eggs, and thus the cycle repeats.

How to treat worm infestations?

There are many drugs against the worms which a pediatrician may prescribe to you, but the most commonly used is Albendazole.

Albendazole is also used in government health programs for deworming children.

Other drugs include mebendazole, ivermectin, and pyrantel pamoate ( you might be prescribed any of these drugs by the pediatrician, all are effective)

However, it is not advised to self-medicate your kid now that you know the name of the drug (albendazole is freely available over the counter like paracetamol).

The dose, the frequency, and the duration of treatment may vary according to age and the type of worm suspected- so you should always act on the advice of a pediatrician, otherwise the treatment may not be effective.

How to prevent worm infestation in your kid?

The following practices are encouraged to avoid getting infested with intestinal worms:-

1. Wash hands properly with soap and water before meals

2. Ensure proper sewage disposal at your home

3. Wash vegetables and fruits properly before consumption

The Government of India also observes a National Deworming Day on February 10th each year where it distributes Albendazole tablets to all children free of cost through its Anganwadi centers.

The dose given is 200mg or half tablet for 1-2 years age, and 400mg (full tablet) for >2yrs age.

Final words

Worm infestation is a very common and easily treatable condition in school-going kids in the country, the symptoms of which can be as mild as pain abdomen & constipation, to as grave as complete obstruction of the intestine and even protrusion of a part of the intestine through the anus.

Visit a doctor and tell him the symptoms- let him decide the choice of drug and the duration of treatment that your child will need, instead of self-medicating by over-the-counter Albendazole.

If you have any queries or confusion regarding worm infestation, please feel free to comment below.

Regards,

Dr. Zeeshan

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