How To Teach WORMS AND OTHER INTESTINAL PARASITE

 There are many types of worms and other tiny animals (parasites) that live in people intestine and cause diseases. Those which are larger are sometimes seen in the stools (feces):

1. ROUDWORM(Ascaris)
2. THREADWORM(Pinworm)
3. WHIPWORM(Trichuris)
4. HOOKWORM
5. TAPEWORM

       The only worms are commonly seen in the stools are roundworms, threadworms, and tapeworms. Hookworms and whipworms may be present in the gut in large numbers without ever being seen in the stools.

Note: The cheapest worm medicines contain piperazine. These work only for roundworms and threadworms and should not be given to infants and young children. Other worms must be treated with other medicines. The most popular worm medicines now are those which attack most kinds of worms, such as mebendazole (Vermox).

Roundworm (Ascaris)

 20 to 30 cm. long. Color pink or white 

How they are spread:

Feces-to-mouth. Through lack of cleanliness, the roundworm eggs pass from one person's stools to another person's mouth.

Effect on health:

    Once the eggs are swollen, young worms hatch and enter the bloodstream; this may cause general itching. The young worms then travel to the lungs, sometimes causing a dry cough or, at worst, pneumonia with coughing of blood. The young worms are coughed up, swallowed, and reach the intestines, where they grow to full size.

   Many roundworms in the intestines may cause discomfort, indigestion, and weakness. Children with many roundworms often have very large, swollen bellies. Rarely, roundworms may cause asthma or a dangerous obstruction blockage in the gut. When the child has a fever, the worms sometimes come out in the stools or crawl out through the mouth or nose. Occasionally they crawl into the airway and cause gagging. 

 Prevention:

      Use latrines, wash your hands before eating or handling food, protect food from flies, and follow the guidelines of cleanliness.

Treatment:

     Mebendazole and piperazine will usually get rid of roundworms.

WARNING: Do not use thiabendazole for roundworms. it often makes the worms move up to the nose or mouth and can cause gagging.

Threadworm(Pinworm, Enterobius)

1 cm, long color white. very thin and threadlike.

How they are transmitted:

   These worms lay thousands of eggs just outside the anus (ass hole). This causes itching, especially at night. When a child scratches, the eggs stick under his nails and are carried to food and other objects. In this way, they reach his own mouth or the mouths of others, new causing infections of threadworms.

Effect of health:

   These worms are not dangerous. itching may disturb the child's sleep.

Treatment and prevention:

• A child who has pinworms should wear tight diapers or pants while sleeping to keep in from scratching his anus.
• Wash the child`s hands and buttocks (anal area) when he wakes up and after he has a bowel movement. Always wash his hands before he eats.
• Cut his fingernails very short.
• Change his clothes and bathe him often- wash the buttocks and nail especially well.
• Put vaseline in and around his anus at bedtime to help stop itching.
• Cleanliness is the best prevention for threadworms. Even if the medicine gets rid of the worms.

Whipworm(Trichuris, Trichocephalus)

    3 to 5 cm. long. Color: pink or gay.

      

       This worm, like the roundworm, is passed from the feces of one person to the mouth of another person. Usually, this worm does little harm, but it may cause diarrhea. In children it occasionally causes part of the intestines to come out of the anus (prolapse of the rectum).

prevention: The same as for roundworm.

 

Treatment: If the worms cause a problem give mebendazole. 

Hookworm 

    1cm. long. Color: red 

  

     Hookworms cannot usually be seen in the feces. A stool analysis is needed to prove that they are there. The worms suck blood and can cause anemia. There is a similar worm called Strongyloides

which may be found in the stools of children or adults. Treat as for hookworm.

How hookworms are spread:

1. The person coughs up the young worms and swallows them.
2. A few days later the person may have diarrhea or a stomach-ache.
3. In a few days, they reach the lungs through the blood-stream. They may cause a dry cough (rarely with blood).
4. The hookworms eggs leave the body in the person`s stools. The eggs hatch on moist soil.

Tapeworm

In the intestine, tapeworms grow several meters long. But the small, flat, white pieces(segments) found in the feces are usually about 1 cm. long occasionally a segment may crawl out by itself and be found in the underclothing.

    people get tapeworms from eating pork (pig meat), beef (cow meat), or other meat that is not well cooked.

Prevention: Be careful of all meat is well cooked, especially pork. Make sure no parts in the center of roasted meat are still raw.

Effect on health: Tapeworms in the intestines sometimes cause mild stomach-aches, but few other problems.

    Treatment: Take niclosamide or praziquantel.