When I had nothing to do, I was reminiscing with some friends, and I unknowingly talked about “pagoda candy”, which I believe most post-80s children know.
In fact, “pagoda candy” is a kind of worm-killing medicine, mainly used to treat children’s roundworm and pinworm infections, it can be said to be a symbol of our time.
I remember when I was a child, almost every family’s children have eaten “pagoda candy”, and many children will eat “pagoda candy” after the discharge of a roundworm with the stool. In recent years, with the improvement of people’s living standards and health awareness, the chance of parasitic infection has gradually decreased, and “pagoda candy” has gradually faded from people’s view.
So, do children still need to take “wormer” now? How can we know if there are parasites in the baby’s stomach? What are the common parasites, how do they get infected, and what are the dangers? Let’s talk about parasites today.
What are the common parasites?
One, roundworm
I believe that we are not particularly unfamiliar with roundworm, which is the largest parasitic nematode in the human intestine and is the most common parasite in children, mostly found in rural areas with poor sanitary conditions.
Roundworm is mainly infected by eating food with eggs (unclean fruits and vegetables, etc.). After children are infected with roundworm, they may have different degrees of fever, cough, loss of appetite or paroxysmal abdominal pain, malnutrition, insomnia, teeth grinding and other symptoms.
If not treated in time, the roundworms in the body can twist into clusters to form roundworm intestinal obstruction, burrow into the bile duct to form biliary ascariasis, enter the appendix to cause appendicular ascariasis and intestinal penetration, and even some roundworms enter the brain. These conditions can cause severe pain, but also may be life-threatening due to serious complications.
Second, pinworms
Pinworms are also common parasites in the intestines of humans (especially children), and are thread-like, so they are also called nematodes in some places and are often found in the large intestine.
In my hometown, pinworms are also called “buttworms” because they often breed in the anus, where their eggs can be scattered on clothing, bedding, toys, land, and food, and infect other people by mouth or air inhalation.
The phrase “playing bare-assed” is often used to refer to two people who are deeply attached to each other. However, in rural areas, when we were young, we always sat on the floor in open pants and played, so if one child was infected with pinworms, soon other children who played bare-assed together would also be infected with pinworms.
The earliest and most common symptom for children infected with pinworms is itching around the anus, and because of the itching, children will scratch hard, which will easily cause skin peeling, congestion, rash and eczema around the anus. This can even lead to septic infection. If left untreated, pinworms can become more and more numerous, and their metabolites can lead to mental excitement, insomnia, night terrors in children, finger biting, and even heterophilia (eosinophilia, cinders). Serious pinworm infections can also invade the appendix and cause appendicitis and even peritonitis.
Third, pork tapeworm
Tapeworm is a huge intestinal parasite, which is not as common as the above two parasites, but is very harmful. People often become infected after eating pork, beef or fish with tapeworms that have not been properly cooked.
When infected with tapeworms, people may initially show hyperphagia and gradually develop symptoms such as loss of appetite, wasting, weakness, dizziness, and abdominal pain.
The cysticercus larvae of the pork tapeworm, which can develop in any part of the body and cause cysticercosis, are far more harmful than adult tapeworms, and symptoms and severity vary depending on the number of cysts and the site of parasitism. The symptoms and severity vary depending on the number of cysts and the site of parasitization. Cysticercosis caused by parasitic worms in the brain is the most harmful to children, causing increased cranial pressure, headache, vomiting and epileptic-like seizures, and can cause death in severe cases.
Other parasites
Other parasites such as schistosomes, hookworms and filarial parasites are not very common, so we will not explain them all here.
What should I do if I am infected with parasites?
Although it is mentioned above that parasitic infections may have serious complications, they are after all rare cases. If you are infected with a parasite, you will soon be cured with timely and standardized treatment. For example, the “pagoda candy” we ate as children is a good wormer!
Should I use wormer prophylactically?
As the saying goes, “prevention is better than cure.” Since parasitic infections can have serious complications, is it possible to routinely use prophylactic wormers?
My opinion is that it is not necessary.
When we were young, due to poor economic conditions, our parents were busy with farm work and neglected to manage all aspects of our hygiene, we always went around in groups of three or five, and many children were unknowingly infected with parasites. Therefore, most of the children took worming medicine.
However, nowadays, the economic conditions are good, the hygiene conditions are good, and the children are taken care of, even in kindergartens, there are teachers who take care of them, so the chances of getting parasites are greatly reduced.
The main purpose of deworming medicine is to kill the parasites first, and then expel them from the body. The medicine is poisonous, and while it kills the parasites, it also has a negative impact on the growth and development of the child. The medicine enters the body and needs to be metabolized by the liver or excreted by the kidneys.
In addition, because most wormers have added sugar to make them taste good, when adults are not paying attention, children who do not know what to do may take them too much as candy, causing harm. Therefore, preventive use of wormer is not recommended.
When should I suspect that my baby has worms in his stomach?
So, as a parent, when should you suspect that your baby has worms in his tummy?
1, baby’s appetite is poor, showing interest in special food: some babies like to eat paper, dirt, etc. This situation should exclude the heterophilic symptoms caused by pinworm infection.
2, slow growth, wasting and malnutrition of the baby.
3, the baby often complains of abdominal pain: the parasite peristalsis in the stomach and intestines may cause symptoms of abdominal pain
4, the baby is fidgety, cries at night or often complains of perianal itching
5.When suspicious worms or white worm eggs appear in the stool.
PS: Many people say that babies (or adults) grind their teeth because there are parasites in their stomachs, but is that really true? For this reason, I have consulted many experts and concluded that children infected with roundworms may grind their teeth at night, but most of them do not grind their teeth at night because of roundworm infection, but because of mental tension.
Even if you suspect that your baby may have a parasitic worm infection, it is not recommended that mom and dad buy their own medicine to treat it. It is recommended to take your baby to the hospital for stool tests to clarify the specific type of parasite and then use the medication regularly and symptomatically.
How to reduce the chance of parasitic infections in babies?
1) Teach your baby the good habit of washing hands before and after meals.
2. don’t eat raw or semi-cooked food: barbecue and grilled meat may cause the meat to be incompletely cooked and the parasites not completely killed.
3. cut raw and cooked food separately: it is best to use separate chopping boards for raw and cooked food at home.
4. Careful selection of vegetables and fruits: Many parents believe that pure and natural crops without any chemical ingredients are the safest, so some parents prefer to choose vegetables and fruits watered by farmers’ natural fertilizers (manure), not knowing that this increases the chances of entrance of parasitic worm eggs.