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.
Visit your pharmacist if the infection continues two weeks after treatment. They may recommend a second dose of medication. In rare cases, mebendazole can cause abdominal pain or diarrhoea, particularly if the threadworm infection is severe.
They take around 2 weeks to hatch. Children can get threadworms again after they've been treated for them if they get the eggs in their mouth. This is why it's important to encourage children to wash their hands regularly.
If pinworm infection occurs again, the infected person should be retreated with the same two-dose treatment. The infected person's household contacts and caretakers also should be treated. If pinworm infection continues to occur, the source of the infection should be sought and treated.
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.
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.
1st line treatment: Mebendazole 100mg* stat dose and repeat 100mg* stat in two weeks (in case some eggs swallowed after taking initial dose). Mebendazole 100mg* stat, and repeat at two weeks, and then only if symptomatic thereafter.
To treat pinworm infection, your doctor may recommend over-the-counter pyrantel pamoate or prescribe medication to all members of your household to prevent infection and reinfection. The most common prescription anti-parasite medications for pinworms are: Mebendazole. Albendazole (Albenza)
Typical pinworm infections don't cause serious problems. In rare circumstances, heavy infestations can cause infection of female genitals. The parasite can travel from the anal area up the vagina to the uterus, fallopian tubes and around the pelvic organs.
You must do this straight away after getting up from bed. ❖ Change and wash underwear, nightwear (and bed linen if possible) each day. Avoid shaking clothes and linen as any eggs on them may be wafted into the air and be swallowed.
The initial treatment of threadworms is essential, but leaving it there may be leaving the job unfinished! 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.
You may be surprised to still see live worms in your dog's feces after deworming them, but this is normal. While this can be an unpleasant image, it's actually a good thing — it means the worms are no longer living inside your dog!
They are common in children, but anyone of any age can be affected. Threadworms live for about 5-6 weeks in the gut, and then die. Before they die, the female worms lay tiny eggs around the anus (back passage). This tends to occur at night when you are warm and still in bed.
In a small percentage of people and other animals, though, the worms gain a permanent mouth-hold and can stick around the intestines for years. That persistence often leads to malnutrition, which in turn tightens the grip of infection, initiating a spiral that becomes difficult to escape.
Chlorine dioxide gas inactivates pinworm eggs in a non-invasive and non-corrosive manner.
Causes of Pinworm Infection
You get pinworms by accidentally swallowing or breathing in their eggs. You could eat or drink something that's contaminated with them and not know it. The eggs can also live on surfaces like clothing, bedding, or other objects.
If left untreated, the intense itching and scratching associated with these infections will result in secondary bacterial infections. Some of these may be difficult to treat. Untreated people can continue to infect other people.
The medications used for the treatment of pinworm are either mebendazole, pyrantel pamoate, or albendazole. Any of these drugs are given in one dose initially, and then another single dose of the same drug two weeks later. Pyrantel pamoate is available without prescription.
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.
The key is to break the 6-week cycle of pinworm reinfection by killing any live pinworms and preventing the ingestion of eggs. A diagnosis should be confirmed before treating with medications. Medications kill only the adult worms and have no effect on developing eggs and larvae.
Mebendazole does not kill the worms' eggs, and these can cause reinfection and also infect other people. A doctor or pharmacist may advise you to take mebendazole again after 2 weeks, to stop reinfection. However, if the infection comes back, speak to a doctor for advice.
Based on data from the current study, 4–5 seconds of exposure at 80°C appears sufficient to inactivate Ascaris eggs. At 75°C and 70°C treatment may also be effective, but exposure time should be increased to achieve the same level of inactivation.
Adults and children of 2 years and over : 1 chocolate square (100mg) twice each day for 3 consecutive days. Combantrin-1 with Mebendazole chocolate squares may be taken with or without food.
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.