Enterobius Vermicularis in Children

 Written by: Muhammad Nasir Sirat

 

Children can get various diseases, one of them is pinworm infection. Pinworms are tiny, white, thread-like worms and are about one centimeter long and live in the large intestine. These worms can infect anyone at any age, but it is common in children. AEPO’s writer/producer has talked to some people and a physician about this disease.

A mother, Fahima, a resident of Laghman province says, “I am the mother of 3 children but one of them is infected with pinworm infection. He doesn’t go to sleep at night; he is suffering from itching; he lost his weight and doesn’t have apatite to eat.”

Malalai, a resident of Jalalabad city, Nangarhar province says, “My son is infected with pinworm. He doesn’t go to sleep at night; he suffers from diarrhea and sometimes he vomits too and could not eat anything.”

Doctor Farid Ahmad Rahmani, a pediatrician at Indira Gandhi Children’s Hospital, Kabul city says, “Symptoms of pinworm infection in children are redness and swelling of the anus, restlessness, and complaints of itching. This disease causes insomnia and sleep disorders in children; causes anorexia and weight loss. This infection also causes urinary tract infections and some other diseases.”

What do some parents think about the causes of pinworm infection?

Fazulrahman, a resident of Dehsabz district, Kabul province says, “Many children play on the contaminated ground and contaminated water and this might cause them to be infected with pinworm.”

A mother says, “The cause of pinworm infection in children is not taking care of cleanliness. Those who eat contaminated food; contaminated water or eat foods with dirty hands, might suffer from pinworm. I don’t care what my children eat or drink and they always suffer from pinworm infection.”

Doctor Rahmani says, “There are different ways in which children get pinworms, and its infections are transmitted from an infected child to a healthy one, like eating food, shaking hands, drinking contaminated water, playing with dirty toys, eating unwashed fruits and vegetables. The worms move from small intestine to the large intestine, and after a month, the female worm can reach the child’s anus and lay eggs.”

What do some people treat this infection at home?

A mother, Maryam from Parwan province says, “My son has pinworms. We treated him at home but the home treatment did not affect him then we took him to the doctor.”

 Zainullah, a resident of Mousawi district of Kabul province says, “One of my children is suffering from pinworms. We treated him at home but as home medicines did not help him, I took him to the hospital for essential treatment.”

Doctor Rahmani says, “When a child complains of insomnia and itching, parents understand that their child has pinworms. They should take him/her to a pediatrician or a health center and after diagnosis, the doctor prescribes him/her some medicines for two weeks and after two weeks, the child might be cured.”