Deworming

        These are some common questions that were directed to me during my practice:

Customer A:  My son/ daughter is very thin and his/ her stomach is very big, can i give him/ her Zentel ??

Customer B: It has been quite some times since i last give my son/ daughter Zentel. Can i give him/ her now??

Customer C : Can i take Zentel if i am an adult?? Zentel is not only for children right??

Worm Infections

      The most common worm infection are whipworm, roundworm, hookworms, tapeworms, threadworm  and fluke. Normally, people will get worm infection if they touch contaminated faeces, play with soil, walking barefoot, eat undercooked food like beef, pork and fish, or drink water that containing contaminated faeces.        

Life cycle of the worms

Symptoms of Worm infections:

Stomach pain, perianal itch that occurs at night as the female worms deposits their eggs, diarrhoea and vomiting, appearance of worms in the faeces as white or cream colour thread-like objects, weight loss and maybe malnutrition

Treatments

Adults and children above 2 years old : Deworming agent (e.g : Albendazole or mebendazole) once daily. 
Affected individuals should take shower each morning to wash away  the eggs deposited outside the anal during the previous night.                                                        

Some deworming agents that are available in Malaysia

Prevention :

1) Wash the hands thoroughly before preparing, handling and eating food.
2) Use disinfectant on toilet seats and bathtube

3) Cut the nails regularly.
4) Hands should be washed and nails brushed after going to toilet.

5) Children can take the deworming agent 2-3 times a year to stay worm- free.

These are some articles and guidelines that you can read for further information:

1) NHS Guide line for tapeworm infections: 

 http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Tapeworm-infections/Pages/Introduction.aspx

2) http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/998401-treatment

p/s: The image of " life cycle of worms" is adapted from google image