Helminthiasis in children: prevention and treatment

Clean hands are the main means in the fight againsthelminthiasis Photo: Getty ImagesWith the onset of warm days, the risk of helminthiasis in children increases, or, as people say, infection with worms. Children go outside, dig in the ground and sand, try unwashed vegetables and fruits, squeeze animals and swim in open water. According to statistics, helminthiasis occurs in 80% of children aged 3 to 7 years. What is helminthiasis? This is a person being infected with parasites by food or contact. Domestic animals and flies are considered carriers of helminthiasis. In general, helminths are widespread and from time to time they are found in every person on the planet. There is no need to be afraid of them. Today, epidemiologists count more than 270 types of helminths. And helminthiasis most often occurs in children. In general, each geographic zone has its own helminths in the environment. In Russia, roundworms and pinworms are common, living in the ground, grass and water. Signs of helminthiasis in children do not appear from the first days of infection with parasites. The fact is that the longer the worms live inside a person, the more of them there are. Reproducing, they take away useful substances from the child's body. As a result, the baby begins to get sick often. What else indicates that children have helminthiasis. The symptoms are as follows: weakness and irritation, changes in appetite - from strong to weak, increased salivation, upset stomach, nausea, sometimes headache. Some pediatricians indicate involuntary grinding of teeth at night, scratching of certain areas of the skin among the symptoms of helminthiasis in children. If you notice two or three of the listed symptoms in your child, run to the doctor who will start treatment. Helminthiasis in children, and in adults, is treatable. But first, the doctor will prescribe you tests. Usually, this is a blood test for antibodies to helminths and a stool test for the presence of pinworm eggs in the scrapings of the folds of the anus. Please note that you will have to bring jars of stool to the clinic for three days in a row; only in this case is there a chance to accurately determine whether your child has parasites. How to treat helminthiasis in children? First of all, with anthelmintic drugs. The dose and frequency of administration are prescribed by the doctor! Folk remedies for the treatment of helminthiasis in children include garlic, pumpkin seeds and carrot juice. But in order for these products to harm the parasites, you need to eat quite a lot of them and this can be unsafe for the child. Except for carrot juice: of these three products, it is the juice that is useful and most effective. You need to drink 50-100 grams of carrot juice daily. Please note that folk remedies are just a good addition to the medications prescribed by a doctor, but not a replacement for them. The most effective remedy is the prevention of helminthiasis. Children must have washed and ironed bed linen and underwear. The floors in the room must be washed. But the main thing is to wash your hands after visiting public places, walking, rinsing vegetables, fruits and berries under running water, and thoroughly cooking meat and fish dishes. It is believed that helminthiasis is a disease of dirty hands. Follow basic personal hygiene rules and do not get sick. Here you can learn about the benefits and uses of .