X
TAP top app download banner
theAsianparent Philippines Logo
theAsianparent Philippines Logo
EnglishFilipino
Product Guide
Sign in
  • Money Tips
    • Savings
    • Insurance
    • Loans
    • Investments
    • Government Benefits
  • Building a BakuNation
  • Becoming a Parent
    • Trying to Conceive
    • Pregnancy
    • Delivery
    • Losing a Baby
    • Project Sidekicks
  • Ages & Stages
    • Baby
    • Toddler Years
    • Preschool Age
    • Kids
    • Preteen & Teen
  • Parenting
    • Parent's Guide
    • News
    • Relationship & Sex
  • Health & Wellness
    • Diseases & Injuries
    • Allergies & Conditions
    • Vaccinations
    • COVID-19
  • Education
    • Preschool
    • K-12
    • Special Education Needs
  • Lifestyle Section
    • Celebrities
    • Contests & Promotions
    • Home
    • Travel and Leisure
    • Fashion
    • Fitness
    • Wellness
    • Money
  • Become a VIP
  • Press Room
  • TAP Recommends
  • Shopping

How do you know if your child has worms?

4 min read
How do you know if your child has worms?

The most common type of worms affecting families with children are pinworms or threadworms.

Kids and worms: the very thought of this makes us want to writhe in horror. However, living in a tropical country, the possibility of kids having intestinal worms is very real. Worms are a type of parasite and the most common worms affecting families with children are pinworms or threadworms. The symptoms of intestinal worms in children can vary from one child to another.

How Do Children Contract Worms?

symptoms of intestinal worms in children

Pinworms can easily be transmitted from one person to another by accidentally putting faecal matter into the mouth.

The cycle starts with female pinworms laying their eggs around the child’s anus at night. This then causes children to scratch due to intense itching which transmits the eggs onto their hands and fingernails.

The contamination continues when their little hands come in contact with clothing, bedding, surfaces, toilet seats, toys and even food.

It is extremely easy for the infestation to spread to other children or other members of the family because pinworm eggs can survive up to three weeks, according to WebMD.

As a result, eggs that end up in the mouth and smaller intestines will mature into female worms that lay eggs around the anus all over again. In the end, this life cycle repeats and contaminated children continue re-infecting themselves and others.

Advertisement

Other parasitic worms like hookworms, roundworms and whipworms, can spread via contact with soil contaminated by feces of pets and even humans. However, this happens more commonly in poorly sanitized places.

You can also be infected if you eat or drink something that contains tapeworm eggs or larva, like raw or under-cooked beef or pork.

Symptoms of Intestinal Worms in Children

symptoms of intestinal worms in children

Symptoms of intestinal worms in children can range from nothing to severe itching around the anus at night.

But below are other symptoms children may face aside from an itchy bottom:

  • General irritability and behavioral changes
  • Trouble sleeping, or restless sleep, sometimes resulting in bed-wetting
  • Sudden lack of appetite
  • Tummy aches and a change of stools
  • In girls, there may be redness and itching around the vagina.
  • In more serious cases, children may even show signs of vitamin and mineral deficiencies.
  • If your child has other worm infestations, look out for blood in the stools, anemia as well as wheezing and dry cough.

It is a good practice to check your child’s bottom every once in a while with a flashlight, two to three hours into their sleep. You might see thin, white, moving, thread-like worms that measure roughly five to 15mm long.

You will be unable to see pinworm eggs with the naked eye.

Your doctor might suggest a “tape test” which involves placing a piece of sticky clear tape on your child’s anus. The tape will be able to collect the pinworm eggs if the child is already showing symptoms of intestinal worms in children.

Treatment and Prevention

symptoms of intestinal worms in children

Medicine to kill the pinworms, as well as medication for inflammation (if any), will be prescribed by your doctor. The whole family and anyone else who has been in close contact with your child will also need to be treated.

Deworming medication will cause those infected to poop out all the dead worms.

Then round two is repeated two weeks later to eliminate any leftover worms, and to ensure that all symptoms of intestinal worms in children are gone. Depending on the situation, your doctor might request another tape test just to be sure.

Do not underestimate the importance of regular hand washing, especially after using the toilet and before meals.

Kids should be discouraged from nail biting. Wash food, fruits and vegetables before eating. Wash contaminated bedding and underwear in a hot wash, especially a few days following the de-worming treatment. Remember also to regularly de-worm your pets.

 

Partner Stories
What’s your cough treatment for that #PigilHiningaMoment?
What’s your cough treatment for that #PigilHiningaMoment?
Alagang Unilab: Healthier Ph Opens Dialogue on Steam Inhalation as a Health Treatment
Alagang Unilab: Healthier Ph Opens Dialogue on Steam Inhalation as a Health Treatment
Gut Health: How to keep your child’s digestive tract healthy with Erceflora Kiddie
Gut Health: How to keep your child’s digestive tract healthy with Erceflora Kiddie
A mom’s responsibility: Getting vaccinated for her children
A mom’s responsibility: Getting vaccinated for her children

Source: WebMD, Raising Children

Read also: Doctors shocked when girl’s appendicitis turned out to be worms

Republished with permission from: theAsianParent Singapore

 

Got a parenting concern? Read articles or ask away and get instant answers on our app. Download theAsianparent Community on iOS or Android now!

img
Written by

Rosanna Chio

Become a Contributor

  • Home
  • /
  • Health
  • /
  • How do you know if your child has worms?
Share:
  • How Gender Nonconforming Play is Linked to Autism and Behavior in Kids

    How Gender Nonconforming Play is Linked to Autism and Behavior in Kids

  • Mom, Is Your Baby's Mouth Ulcer Keeping You Up at Night?

    Mom, Is Your Baby's Mouth Ulcer Keeping You Up at Night?

  • PH heat index at dangerous level: Tips to protect your child from heatstroke

    PH heat index at dangerous level: Tips to protect your child from heatstroke

  • How Gender Nonconforming Play is Linked to Autism and Behavior in Kids

    How Gender Nonconforming Play is Linked to Autism and Behavior in Kids

  • Mom, Is Your Baby's Mouth Ulcer Keeping You Up at Night?

    Mom, Is Your Baby's Mouth Ulcer Keeping You Up at Night?

  • PH heat index at dangerous level: Tips to protect your child from heatstroke

    PH heat index at dangerous level: Tips to protect your child from heatstroke

Get advice on your pregnancy and growing baby. Sign up for our newsletter
  • Money Tips
  • Building a BakuNation
  • Pregnancy
  • Parenting
  • Lifestyle Section
  • FAMILY & HOME
  • TAP Community
  • Advertise With Us
  • Contact Us
  • Become a Contributor


  • Singapore flag Singapore
  • Thailand flag Thailand
  • Indonesia flag Indonesia
  • Philippines flag Philippines
  • Malaysia flag Malaysia
  • Sri-Lanka flag Sri Lanka
  • India flag India
  • Vietnam flag Vietnam
  • Australia flag Australia
  • Japan flag Japan
  • Nigeria flag Nigeria
  • Kenya flag Kenya
© Copyright theAsianparent 2025. All rights reserved
About Us|Team|Privacy Policy|Terms of Use |Sitemap HTML
  • Tools
  • Articles
  • Feed
  • Poll

We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience. Learn MoreOk, Got it

We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience. Learn MoreOk, Got it