Threadworm eggs can survive for up to 2 weeks before hatching. If the eggs hatch around the anus, the newborn worms can re-enter the bowel. Eggs that have been swallowed will hatch inside the intestine. After 2 weeks, the worms reach adult size and begin to reproduce, starting the cycle again.
Threadworm eggs, laid around the anus, are untouched by treatments such as COMBANTRIN® or COMBANTRIN®-1 – and these eggs can hatch after the initial treatment, causing the infection to flare up all over again.
Your children may come into contact with eggs in schools or nurseries, particularly in the toilets if they are not cleaned properly. This is why your child may have recurring threadworms, even if your home and personal hygiene are of a very high standard.
If you or your child have threadworms that won't go away or keep coming back, speak to a doctor. You should also see a doctor if you see slime or blood in poo, even if you don't have other symptoms of a threadworm infection.
Causes of threadworms
Scratching the anus or vagina, or wiping them after going to the toilet, can cause the eggs to stick to your fingertips or under your fingernails. If you don't wash your hands, the eggs can be transferred to your mouth or on to food or objects, such as toys and kitchen utensils.
COMBANTRIN® is only effective against adult worms, which means any eggs or immature worms inside the body might still linger after the initial treatment. In order to minimise the risk of reinfestation, a follow-up treatment two to four weeks later is strongly recommended if symptoms are still present.
Worms are mainly spread in small bits of poo from people with a worm infection. Some are caught from food. You can get infected by: touching objects or surfaces with worm eggs on them – if someone with worms does not wash their hands.
Good hygiene will clear any eggs from the body and the home, and prevent any eggs from being swallowed. This will then break the cycle of 're-infection'. Every member of the household should do the following for two weeks after the first dose of medicine.
Pinworm infection is spread by the fecal-oral route, that is by the transfer of infective pinworm eggs from the anus to someone's mouth, either directly by hand or indirectly through contaminated clothing, bedding, food, or other articles.
British researchers have identified a protein that exists in some people's gut mucus that seems to be toxic to parasitic worms. Those with the protein are able to ward off infection, while those who lack the protein are more easily infected with the parasites, researchers said.
Chlorine dioxide gas inactivates pinworm eggs in a non-invasive and non-corrosive manner.
Directions. Combantrin -1 Tablets may be taken with or without food. The tablet may be chewed or swallowed whole with fluids. All it takes is one tablet, once only for each member of your family, regardless of body weight.
Threadworms do not go away by themselves, and people do not build up immunity to them, so they must be treated in order to eradicate them totally from the body.
Female threadworms lay an average of 11,000 tiny eggs, which are invisible to the naked eye. She lays these eggs outside the anus, or, in girls, around the vagina and urethra. Eggs are usually laid at night whilst the child sleeps.
To remove threadworm eggs and prevent re-infection: Change and wash underwear, nightwear and, if possible bed linen and towels, every day for a few days. A hot water wash, or the heat of an iron, will kill the eggs. Do not shake bed linen indoors as this can spread eggs around.
The worms live in the lower intestine, but they come out of the anus over night to lay their eggs in the area between the buttocks, which causes your child's bottom to feel very itchy. It is estimated that one female threadworm can lay up to 16,000 eggs.
Worm infections are very common worldwide, although they mainly occur in areas with poor sanitation and hygiene, and are usually associated with poverty. They are spread in a variety of ways.
Reinfection does happen with pinworm
Eggs are swallowed, usually after hand-to-mouth contact, and the pinworm infection begins again. Pinworm eggs may spread to shared surfaces, such as bedding, curtains, toilets, doorknobs, towels, utensils, and furniture. These areas should be kept clean to avoid reinfection.
A reduction in the immune response efficiency can in turn increase a host's vulnerability to parasites and pathogens: hence high levels of physiological stress can lead to higher levels of parasitic infection (prevalence and/or intensity of infection; Brown and Fuller 2006; Corlatti et al.
If you take too much Combantrin-1 with Mebendazole, you may get stomach pains, diarrhoea, feel sick or vomit.
One 100mg square for every 10kg of body weight (equivalent to 10mg pyrantel per 1kg). Take a single dose, after food.
If you take too much
Taking an extra dose of mebendazole is unlikely to harm you. However, you may get side effects such as: stomach cramps. feeling or being sick (nausea or vomiting)
Medication kills the worms, but not their eggs, which can survive for two weeks. Therefore, you also need strict hygiene measures for two weeks after taking medication to prevent you from swallowing eggs which may cause a new infection.