Parasites in children are responsible for several types of disease. Parasites are organisms that obtain nourishment and protection from other living organisms known as hosts, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service. Seeking prompt medical treatment is important if you suspect that your child may have a parasitic infection.
Identification
Some parasites live in your child's tissues and organs, while others infest your child's hair and skin. Parasites are transmitted from animal to humans, from humans to humans or from humans to animals, according to the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service. Parasites may be so small that they can only be seen with a microscope, or in the case of worms or lice, may be easily visible.
Location
Some types of parasites, such as giardiasis and cryptosporidiosis, live in the intestinal tract. The University of Maryland Medical Center reports that parasites can live in the intestines for years before causing symptoms. Pinworms are found in your child's anus and rectum. Lice and scabies live on your child's hair or skin, while the toxoplasmosis parasite lives in your child's tissues.
Symptoms
Intestinal parasites can cause painful gastrointestinal symptoms, including abdominal cramps, gas, stomach pain, weight loss, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. If diarrhea continues long enough, dehydration may develop. Pinworms cause itching in the anal area and if you examine your child's anus with a flashlight during the night, you may actually see small white worms.
Lice and their eggs are visible in your child's hair, while microscopic mites cause the itchy skin common in a scabies infestation. If your child develops toxoplasmosis, he may develop flu-like symptoms. If toxoplasmosis is passed from the mother to an unborn child, miscarriage, stillbirth or other severe outcomes may occur, according to the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service.
Transmission
Intestinal parasites can be transmitted through drinking contaminated water, eating undercooked meat or by touching feces or items contaminated by the parasite. Pinworm may also be transmitted through contact with feces. Transmission occurs when your child touches her mouth after touching contaminated items or feces. Transmission of the toxoplasmosis parasite may also occur if your child plays in dirt that contained contaminated cat feces or touches the feces directly. Lice and scabies are spread by close contact between people. FamilyDoctor.org reports that head lice spreads more easily among children three to 12 years of age because children share belongings more often than adults and play close together.
Treatment
Treatment of a parasitic infection varies depending on the type of infection. Oral medication may be prescribed if your child develops an intestinal parasite, pinworm or toxoplasmosis. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, reports that treatment is usually not necessary if your child develops giardiasis, but has no symptoms. The CDC recommends beginning giardiasis treatment even if your child doesn't have diarrhea, but experiences weight loss, poor appetite, nausea or fatigue. Doctors prescribe special cream to kill scabies parasites and medication to control itching. Lice treatment involves using medicated shampoos to kill lice and hand removal of eggs.
