Pinworms come out of the anus (bum) at night and lay their eggs on nearby skin. The worms may be seen with a flashlight, as crawling threads around the bum after the child has been asleep for about an hour. 

Pinworms are common among preschool and school-age children. Usually children with pinworms have no symptoms but may be very itchy around the bum and vagina.

Pinworms spread easily when:

• a person with pinworms scratches the itchy area and gets eggs on the fingers and under the fingernails. Then the infection can be spread by touching someone else.
• someone picks up pinworm eggs from an infected person’s clothes, pajamas, sheets, etc. These eggs can live for many weeks outside the body.

A doctor can do a simple test to check for pinworms

Pinworms can be treated with medicine.

A child can get pinworms again by coming into contact with pinworm eggs. To stop the spread of pinworms, all caregivers and children may need to be treated.

• Watch your child for signs of pinworms, if another child has them.
• Watch for scratching of the bum.
• Talk to your doctor about treatment if your child has pinworms.
• Make sure all household members wash their hands carefully after going to the toilet or changing diapers.
• Make sure they also wash their hands before preparing or eating food.
• Change underwear, nighties, pajamas and bed sheets often to get rid of any eggs.
• Bathe your child in the morning to remove any eggs that were laid around the bum during the night.
• Tell the caregivers at the centre, if your child has pinworms.

Children with pinworms may go to the child care centre or school.

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