Issue 77 (June 2015)
Delivered to 17,000 homes throughout Hamilton’s western suburbs
k r a P he t n i page 3 Chill
po x E ers e r a C
page 7
-of p i r Price
f page 2
e c n a t r o p m i The y a l of P Play is a vital part of growing up for our kids… more on Page 5
West Hamilton Pharmacy NewNawton Mall, Nawton. Phone 846 3121. Facsimile 846 3165
Threadworms - common & easy to treat
The thought that you, or your children, may have threadworms probably makes you feel ill, not to mention wondering if your standards of hygiene and cleanliness have ‘slipped’. In most cases, hygiene is not the issue. Instead it is more the fact that threadworms (also known as pinworms) are fairly common in the wider environment, and easy to ‘catch’. The good news is that threadworms can be treated and there are ways to help your family from being re-infected. How do you know if you have threadworms? Usually, and more so with children, there is itchiness around the anus, especially at night, resulting in disturbed sleep and irritability because of the constant scratching. In some cases, you can see the worms in a bowel motion, or on wiping after a motion. Some people may experience nausea, diarrhoea and loss of appetite. However sometimes there are no symptoms, and it is only when another member of the household shows signs, or the worms are observed, that the diagnosis is made. The worms look like short pieces of white thread, about 5 to 10 mm long. After swallowing the eggs, they hatch in the gut. Within a few weeks, the female adult worms move down
the gut to the anus where they lay thousands of tiny eggs, usually at night when you are asleep. The irritating itch is caused by the ‘glue’ the worms use to stick their eggs to the anus. Threadworm eggs are colourless, sticky spheres that are extremely resilient and can survive for up to three weeks in a cool, moist environment. These eggs can re-enter the body by being inhaled or swallowed. Threadworms are passed easily from person to person by sharing things such as food, clothes and utensils. Infection tends to occur more commonly in children because they play and come in contact with each other more often. Threadworms can be picked up from other people in the home, at school or at kindergarten. A child simply needs to scratch his or her bottom, which has been irritated by threadworms, for eggs to be trapped under the fingernails. Then when the child touches his or her mouth or food, threadworms get re-introduced to the body and the life cycle continues. Touching other surfaces leaves behind eggs for other people to ‘catch’. The best preventative measure to take in these circumstances is always to wash hands after going to the toilet, after touching objects that others have touched, and before preparing and eating food. Threadworms are not spread from animals to humans, however, animals may be infected with other types of worms
(hookworm, roundworm and tapeworm) which can be transferred to humans. This is not so common in New Zealand. Threadworms are easy to treat with a single dose of medicines and Self Care pharmacists recommends “treating everyone in the house at the same time, even if not everyone has symptoms”. This is because the worms are so easily passed on, as well as the huge number of eggs that are produced so that when one member of the household gets them, the rest are very likely to as well. The medicine used to treat threadworms don’t kill the threadworm eggs and retreatment is required 2-3 weeks after the initial course. “Also, we recommend that you check with us, or your doctor, about which threadworm medicine is safe for children under two years old, and for pregnant women.” To learn more, especially some of the self care tips for avoiding threadworms, get your free copy of the Threadworms Self Care fact card. If you have any further questions, ask your Self Care pharmacist.