How to find out if your child has thread worms - and what you can do to help
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Nursery staff have advised parents to be vigilant to symptoms of worms after a child became infected.
The preschool, based in Cheltenham, Glos, has issued an alert to parents and visitors about the condition, which is common and can spread easily.
In cases where children contract worms, it means the entire family will need to undergo treatment and follow strict hygiene procedures.
These include cutting fingernails, changing bed linen, washing hands and scrubbing nails as well as morning baths or showers.
So what signs should parents look out for?
WARNING: Further down this article there is an image of a poo with worms
Threadworms, also called pinworms, look like pieces of white thread in your poo and can also be seen around your child’s bottom and can come out at night while your child is sleeping.
They do not cause any harm and get into the body when people ingest eggs that can be found on contaminated hands, toilets, kitchen counters and food.
(Image: Science Photo Library)
What are the symptoms?
The most common symptoms are extreme itching around the anus or vagina, particularly at night, irritability and waking up during the night, the NHS says.
Other less common signs of worms include weight loss, wetting the bed and irritated skin around the bottom.
What treatment is available?
You don’t need to see a GP and a pharmacist can help with a table or liquid you can swallow. And you have to treat everyone in your household, even if they don't have symptoms.
However, if you need to treat a child under two, of if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, you may need to speak to your GP.
What can I do at home
Medicine will kill the threadworms, but not the eggs which can live for up to two weeks outside the body.
To avoid becoming infected again, it’s vital to wash your hands properly after eating, using the toilet or changing nappies.
You can also bath or shower every morning, rinse toothbrushes, keep fingernails short, and disinfect kitchen and bathroom surfaces
What you shouldn’t do
You should not shake clothing or bedding, to prevent eggs landing on other surfaces, share towels or flannels, bite nails or suck thumbs and fingers
But you don't need to stay off school, nursery or work with threadworms, Gloucestershire Live reports.
How threadworms spread
Threadworms spread when their eggs are swallowed. They lay eggs around your anus, which make it itchy. The eggs get stuck on your fingers when you scratch. They can then pass on to anything you touch.
Eggs can then pass to other people when they touch these surfaces and touch their mouth. They take around two weeks to hatch.
Children can get worms again after they've been treated for them if they get the eggs in their mouth. This is why it's important to encourage children to wash their hands regularly.
In one case, doctors thought a schoolgirl had appendicitis when in fact she had worms.
During the operation, surgeons found worms instead.
What does a poo with worms look like?
It looks like this: