Deworming is the first step to take as soon as you notice symptoms of intestinal worms in your kid. There are various ways to deworm your kid. However, the treatment differs depending on the types of infestation your kid is suffering from. You may get rid of the intestinal worm through prescribed medicine for older kids or make use of syrup in case of toddlers as recommended by your doctor.
Intestinal worms are parasitic worms such as tapeworms, roundworms, pinworms and hookworms, which can cause problems to human body once they start getting infested. They fester in the intestinal walls of humans and animals and lead to larger health issues if left untreated. Unhygienic and unsanitary surroundings and consumption of contaminated water or food are the common cause of intestinal worms infestation in the human body. There are few symptoms which can be related to an infestation of these parasitic worms; early diagnosis can help locate the types of worms your kid is infected with. Once the type of worm is identified, you can easily treat your kids with the help of deworming medication as prescribed your doctor.
Deworming is the process of expelling intestinal worms or parasitic worms from the body by the use of anthelmintic medicine/drug. In other words, it is a medicated process of getting rid of intestinal worms. The deworming process includes the use of anthelmintics medication.
There are several causes of worms in children. Below are some of the common ways through which kids can fall victim to parasitic worms:
Parasitic worms or intestinal worms breed in an unhygienic environment. Usually, when your kids touch things such as worm-infested toys or play in the dirt, they end up getting worms eggs on their hand which travel into their body when they touch their mouth or eat something directly without washing their hands.
As said above, one of the causes of worms in children is consumption of contaminated substances. These parasitic worms harbour in contaminated food and are easy to get into children’s body especially, through consumption of infected uncooked meat or fruits and vegetables. Another common cause is the low immune system since children have a weaker immune system it is easy for them to get infected by these parasitic worms.
Below are few symptoms which can help you identify whether your kid has fallen prey to intestinal worms or not:
If you are suspecting infestation of worms in your child based on the symptoms, then you should consult your doctor and get your child diagnosed without a second thought.
There are numerous ways for diagnosing worms in children, such as taking a sample of stool to examine the presence of worms or take a blood sample to examine the presence of antibodies which our body usually produces when attacked by parasites.
People with low immunity especially children are more susceptible to infestation of intestinal worms. There are various dangers of worm infection one should watch out for. Malnutrition, intestinal blockage, a hindrance to the healthy growth of children, weight loss and anaemia, are few risks resulting from worm infections.
Treatment against parasitic worms depends on the type of worms and symptoms in your kid. Worms like tapeworms will die on their own if you follow a healthy diet and have a strong immune system. However, in most cases, you should consult your doctor and follow an anthelmintic treatment as prescribed by the doctor. Since parasitic worms lay eggs inside their host’s body and keep multiplying if left untreated for long, it makes it even difficult and time-consuming to deworm.
Deworming Medicine for Kids
Deworming medicine for kids varies based on your kid’s age and type of worms they are infected with.
You may combine modern medicine with home remedies for deworming and to ease the discomfort.
Now we will discuss how to deworm a child naturally. Of course, the best treatment is to fight infection naturally. Our immune system naturally takes care of eliminating infections from our body. Stronger the immune system, lesser are the chances for you to fall victim to infections. The strength of our immune system depends on our diet and lifestyle, a healthy diet and lifestyle will result in stronger immune system and capacity to fight against internal infections such as worm infestation. You can enhance the immunity of your child by including immune enhancer like Nutmeg, asafoetida (hing), Carrom seeds, honey, etc., in their daily diet.
Prevention is always better than treatment. There are several ways through which your kid can get infected by intestinal worms such as playing in infested dirt, grass, and sand or by consuming food from unhygienic places or by coming in contact with people who are already infested with worms. Below are few points of prevention against worms:
As per WHO’s recommendation, deworming once every six months is enough.
Threadworms, also known as pinworms in kids, and are the most common type of worms, and they seem similar to pieces of white thread.
Usually, deworming medicines are mild enough to be easily tolerated by kids, but in some rare cases, there might be light sight effects of deworming such as nausea, mild headache, and vomiting.
Yes, everyone is susceptible to intestinal worms regardless of their age.
Kids above the age of 2 can be dewormed.
However, as we all know, prevention is the best treatment, and necessary steps should be taken to prevent your kids from coming in contact with these parasites as much as possible.