Helminthiasis in children: prevention and treatment

Clean hands are the main tool 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 earth and sand, taste 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 the infection of a person with parasites through food or contact. Pets, flies are considered carriers of helminthiasis. In general, helminths are ubiquitous and from time to time they are found in every person on the planet. Do not be afraid of them. Today, epidemiologists have more than 270 types of helminths. And most often helminthiasis occurs in children. In general, in each geographic zone, their own helminths live 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 more time the worms live inside a person, the more they become. Reproducing, they take useful substances from the child's body. As a result, the baby starts to get sick often. What else indicates that children have helminthiasis. Symptoms are: weakness and irritation, swings in appetite - from strong to weak, increased salivation, upset stools, nausea, and sometimes headache. Some pediatricians, among the symptoms of helminthiasis in children, indicate involuntary grinding of teeth at night, scratching of some areas of the skin. If you notice two or three of these symptoms in your child, run to the doctor who will take care of treatment. Helminthiasis in children, as well as in adults, is treated. But first, your doctor will prescribe tests for you. Usually this is a blood test for antibodies to helminths and an analysis of feces, 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 feces to the clinic for three days in a row; only in this case there is a chance to establish for sure whether your child has parasites. How to treat helminthiasis in children? First of all, anthelmintic drugs. The dose and frequency of admission 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, they need to be eaten quite a lot and this is not safe for the child. In addition to carrot juice: of these three products, it is 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 medicines 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 bedding and underwear. The room has washed floors. But the main thing is to wash your hands after visiting public places, walking, washing vegetables, fruits and berries under running water, good heat treatment of meat and fish dishes. It is believed that helminthiasis is a disease of dirty hands. Follow basic rules of personal hygiene and do not get sick. Here you can learn about the benefits and uses.