So you pick your kid from the school and see him itching around his/her bottom, you let it go. At night when you are singing them lullaby, you see them do the itching again and then you think of the worst. The pinworms! With one eye closed, you make them drop their pajamas and there they are those tiny white bastards causing your child so much pain.

Before getting into the details of how you can free your child from all that itching around his/her anal area, lets actually talk about the disease.

What is a pinworm infection?

The disease is known as pinworms infection. Enterobiasis or oxyuriasis are the scientific names for this infection. Usually, the doctor would say you the words of infection or simply say that you have pinworms infection. It can be regarded as a human parasitic disease. Pinworms infect humans’ intestines and anal/rectal region.

The ultimate symptom of this disease is itching in the anal area which can ruin your child’s sleep for days if immediate action is not taken. Don’t be scared of this disease, it can be fixed with mere medication and with some personal hygiene care.

What Does a Pinworm Looks Like?

Pinworms are also known as threadworms because they literally look like so and their color is white. As the name depicts they have the shape of worms. They are about the same length(one-half inch)of that of a staple. They usually live in a human’s rectum for the most time. At night, when female pinworms leave through the anus from intestines, lay down eggs on the skin around the anus area.

Now when the infection is mild, there may be less to no symptoms of infection felt by the infected person but when the condition gets high, the following symptoms are seen readily;

• Itching around the anal area. (during sleep)
• Pain in abdomen and nausea.
• Vomiting (some cases).
• Bad breath.

Mostly, school going kids get this infection due to lack of care in hygiene. According to a survey, the most common worm infection found in the United States is pinworm infection. Other than kids, mother of an infected child can get pinworms and after that, the adult male can get it (less likely to be).

Where Do Pinworms Come From?

Someone who is already infected with pinworms scratches their (his/her) anal region bare and eggs get stuck under their nails. Now, these get spread in the following ways.

• If the child forgets to wash his/her hands after using the washroom and touches the toys, then the germs (pinworms) get transfer to the toys. This results in other kids getting pinworms.
• The eggs of pinworms can get easily transfer from fingers to beds, clothes which leads to the entire home getting infected with it.
• The eggs also transfer to food that the child eats and thus gets transmitted to others if the child shares the food.

Pinworms can last up to 2 weeks on beds, clothes and other objects touched by the infected person under normal temperature. The eggs laid by the pinworms if not treated hatches while they are still attached to the skin. From there, they move to the lower intestine using the rectum path where they grow up to adult size in a time of 3 to 6 weeks.

The pinworm infection is said to remain until one either has the eggs or the pinworms itself.

Now it is time to pull the socks up and get ready for a thorough cleaning, maintaining hygiene routine with patience.

How to Get Rid Of Pinworms Fast but Naturally

Washing hands

As you must have read above those hands play part in spreading this disease the most, so make sure your kid washes his/her hands extensively and repeatedly with a good antibacterial soap whenever he visits the washroom and other times as well.

Wash clothes and bedding

Places and things which are touched by the infected kid every day shall be thoroughly washed. Their clothing should be washed every day when they come back from school and their pj’s that they wear at night should be washed too every day (not to forget underwear and towels). Use hot/boiling water for this purpose.

Cut long fingernails

Time to grab the nail cutter! Cut your kids fingernail if they are long and keep them short because when he/she itches that is where the eggs come and then follow ahead.

Dry clothes in sunlight

When you are done washing the clothes, DO NOT put them in the dryer for drying, take them outside in the sunlight. The sunlight rays are excellent for killing those left pinworms eggs.

Daily showering

This is very essential to do especially at the initial stage of the treatment. Keep asking your child to take a shower for the next two weeks and DO NOT MISS A DAY.

Essential oil:

Coconut oil

Rub coconut oil around your child’s anus to get rid of eggs and for future prevention (uses disposable gloves and then discard them). Use until fully satisfied (3-4 months)

Tea tree oil

You can use it for soothing the itching. Use it after diluting with the correct amount of water.

Clove oil/ clove & Vaseline

Another method to kills the pinworm eggs is to mix 3-4 teaspoons in one small bowl of water or diluted as recommended. Apply it around the anus area.

Garlic cloves

If you are an adult then you can surely eat this. Raw garlic is said to kill the pinworms in the intestines and can prevent pinworms in the future as well. So you can either it in one go or dice it up and take it one by one.

Tablets

You can also opt the idea of pills to kill the worms inside your stomach. You can take the following dietary food in form of pills.

• Apple cider vinegar pills.
• Grapefruit extract pills.

Visit a doctor for more efficient treatment and faster as well.

After the above remedies, we can assure you that your kid or anyone affected with pinworms will be cured but if the condition still persists then you should surely visit your doctor for final treatment.