Your child catches pinworms when he swallows pinworm eggs after touching something an object handled by another person infected with pinworms, according to the Baby Center. Once swallowed, the eggs hatch in the large intestine. Female pinworms will then migrate to your child's anus and lay eggs. When your child scratches his anus, he can get the eggs under his fingernails and spread the pinworms to others. To treat pinworms, you have to kill the worms, prevent itching and reduce the risk of re-infection.
Treatment for Worms
Mild pinworm infections may go away without treatment, according to MayoClinic.com. If you suspect a pinworm infection in your child, contact your doctor. Doctors often prescribe anti-parasite medications to kill the pinworms, including mebendazole, albendazole and pyrantel. In many situations, your doctor will treat the entire family with anti-parasite medications to help stop the infection cycle. You child may suffer from abdominal pain, stomach upset, diarrhea or vomiting when taking an anti-parasite medication. However, your child needs to take all doses of the medication for it to work.
Treatment for Itchiness
Pinworms often cause itching and irritation around the anus and on the buttocks. Applying a one-percent hydrocortisone cream to the affected area four times a day will help decrease the itch, according to the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford. If you cannot control your child's itching, contact her doctor. The Mayo Clinic recommends taking your child to the doctor if hydrocortisone application causes blistering, dryness, irritation, swelling or thinning of your child's skin.
Treatment For Reducing Re-infection
The best treatment for reducing pinworm re-infection involves proper hygiene. Perform hand-washing before eating or preparing food, after using the bathroom and after changing a diaper. Keep fingernails short and clean. Warn your child not to bite his fingernails, as this can cause him to swallow more pinworms. Encourage your child not to scratch the skin around his anus. Assure your child bathes or showers and changes his underwear each morning to remove the largest portion of eggs. Wash underclothes, pajamas, towels and bed sheets in hot water regularly to kill pinworms and eggs. Daily vacuuming or dust mopping of your child's room will help remove pinworms and eggs that may have fallen to the floor. Continue encouraging good hygiene for two to three weeks after all signs and symptoms of pinworms have disappears, because they can survive for up to three weeks on surfaces such as clothing, bedding and other objects, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
