In pediatric clinics, parents often ask these questions: “My child always grinds his teeth at night, is there a worm in his stomach?” “Is there a worm in my child’s tummy if he has white spots on his face?” “My child doesn’t eat properly, is there a worm in his stomach?” “My child often says his stomach hurts, is there a worm in his stomach?” …… With the continuous development and progress of society and the improvement of public awareness of hygiene and health care, parasitic diseases are becoming less and less common in some big cities, but it is not uncommon to see such “worm-phobic” parents in pediatric clinics. Let’s talk about common parasitic diseases. What are the common clinical manifestations of parasitic diseases? Children are often anorexic, picky eaters, paranoid eaters, etc. Some children also have a tendency to eat bark, wall bark, wood chips, etc., which is commonly referred to as “heterophilia”. Children often have recurrent belly button pain, which is transient and can improve with pressure. In severe cases, there is malnutrition, anemia, wasting, growth retardation. Some children have poor mental health, irritability, and teeth grinding at night. Pinworm disease may have nighttime itching near the pubic and anal areas. When more roundworms are parasitized in the child’s body, because roundworms have the habit of drilling, they can often burrow into various cavities opening on the intestinal wall under massive parasitism or certain stimuli such as fever and deworming medicine, causing serious clinical consequences, such as roundworm intestinal obstruction, biliary ascariasis, roundworm liver abscess, roundworm appendicitis, roundworm peritonitis, etc. Sometimes, worms can even burrow through the nostrils or spit out of the mouth. How can I conclude that I have a parasitic disease? The most reliable method is to find worm eggs in the stool. Blood tests with increased eosinophils are also suggestive, and finding worms in the stool after applying deworming medication is one way to confirm the diagnosis. If pinworms are suspected, you can poke the buttocks 2-3 hours after the child is asleep to see if there are small white worms in the folds of the skin. White spots on the face (commonly known as “worm spots”) are not unique to ascariasis and should not be used as a basis for diagnosis. The most commonly used drug is albendazole, a broad-spectrum anthelmintic that is effective against a variety of intestinal parasites and has mild side effects; only a few children can see dry mouth, fatigue, dizziness, headache, loss of appetite, nausea, abdominal pain or diarrhea, etc. Most children under 2 years old do not need this drug. How to prevent parasitic diseases? Let children develop good habits of hygiene, do not defecate anywhere, wash their hands before and after meals, cut their nails, wash their perineum, change and wash their underwear regularly. Correct the bad habit of sucking fingers, do not eat unclean fruits and vegetables, and do not drink raw water.