The causative agents of enterobiasis are small thin helminths white, oviparous, intestinal-dwelling and called pinworms because of the pointed tail end of the female.
Children make up the main group of people infected with enterobiasis - most often the disease overtakes them between the ages of 3 and 10-14 years. Maximum incidence is observed at the age of 4-6 years.
The causative agent of enterobiasis is very resistant to environmental factors and disinfectants. In the environment it can remain in a viable state for up to 25 days. Most often, pinworm eggs are found on bedding, toys, carpets, and in bathrooms and toilets. Survival of pinworm eggs in tap water ranges from 7 days to 21 and depends on the temperature of the water and its oxygen saturation. Pinworm eggs can survive for some time in decanters and baby bottles.
Who can get enterobiasis?
There is no 100% protection against enterobiasis - every child can get it, but the following groups are at greatest risk:
- children whose mothers had toxicosis in the second half of pregnancy. This condition interferes with the full development of all organs and systems of the baby, which weakens his body and opens the door to illness;
- children transferred to artificial feeding;
- long-term and frequently ill children;
- children with insufficient mental development;
- children from families with low social status.
The habit of some children to put their fingers in their mouth and bite their nails also increases the risk of contracting enterobiasis.
The high level of diseases is facilitated by the excess number of children in children's institutions compared to existing standards, non-compliance of premises with hygienic standards, the use of the same rooms as dining rooms, playrooms and bedrooms, and violation of the sanitary and hygienic regime.
The source of enterobiasis is only humans. Pets are safe from infecting humans with enterobiasis.
When should you be tested for helminths (enterobiasis)?
- stomach ache;
- frequent nausea, vomiting;
- inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal tract:
- fatigue, irritability, restless sleep, grinding teeth in sleep;
- allergic conditions;
- perianal itching;
- vulvovaginitis - inflammation of the vaginal mucosa;
- urinary tract infections;
- elevated level eosinophils (blood cells related to, involved in protecting the body from the penetration of a foreign agent) in the blood;
- retardation in height, weight.
What are the manifestations of enterobiasis?
Over a long period of coexistence next to humans, pinworms have adapted well to life in the human body, so this disease often passes without pronounced clinical signs that make it possible to suspect the presence of enterobiasis. This leads to untimely diagnosis of the disease and late initiation of treatment. In this regard, pay more attention to the signs listed below.
Itching
Often the only symptom of enterobiasis is perianal itching, which is associated with the female laying eggs. Severe itching usually occurs during sleep, most often from eleven to one in the morning, but in some cases during the day. It is at night that helminths have the greatest chance of remaining unnoticed and laying eggs that will mature to the infectious stage by morning.
It should be noted that, despite its apparent harmlessness, perianal itching is difficult for children to tolerate. They constantly complain about this feeling, and their sleep is often disturbed. Some babies grind their teeth in their sleep.
Itching can persist for quite a long time after enterobiasis is cured as a result of the formation of a persistent focus of excitation in the cerebral cortex. In some cases, pinworms are excreted in the feces in the form of small white moving worms (this often happens when the temperature rises, eating a large number of oranges, taking mineral water). Complications that arise as a result of perianal itching include skin damage from scratching and inflammation.
Stomach ache
As a rule, pain occurs during eating, less often - after eating or regardless of eating. In addition, nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite are noted. Frequently occurring sharp pain in the abdomen may be a reason to seek medical help, but in such cases a specific disease is often not detected.
In some cases, children may develop inflammation of the colon (colitis) with frequent, mushy stools mixed with mucus, and numerous pinworm larvae or immature females up to 3 mm long can be detected in the stool.
Dysbiosis
This is the name for a violation of the microbiological composition of the intestine.
In many cases, enterobiasis is the cause of a violation of the optimal composition of intestinal bacteria. The number of E. coli decreases, the resistance of beneficial microorganisms to pathogens of acute diseases decreases. intestinal infections. Since the intestinal microflora is one of the factors supporting increased activity intestinal enzymes, disturbances in the processes of absorption and digestion of nutrients that develop as a result of enterobiasis lead to loss of body weight and retard the growth and development of the child.
How is enterobiasis detected?
Pinworms are easily transmitted from person to person in families and communities. Therefore, it is also necessary to conduct an examination for enterobiasis of those people who are close to the infected child.
Diagnosis is possible when pinworm eggs are found on the perianal (located around the anus) folds of skin. Pinworm eggs are rarely found in feces.
Diagnostic tests are carried out in the clinic. Methods for collecting eggs differ from each other, so we will note the most common ones.
- Scraping the perianal folds using a special glass spatula. Diagnostic manipulation is carried out in the morning before defecation and urination, before washing and showering. The contents of the scraping are then applied to glass for microscopic examination.
- Imprint from perianal folds onto adhesive tape. A strip of adhesive tape is fixed to the end of a wooden stick (spatula). The tape-covered end of the spatula is pressed against areas of skin in several places around the anus. The helminth eggs stick to it, and then the tape is transferred to glass for examination under a microscope.
How to treat enterobiasis?
Partial recovery of the child occurs already with the first dose of the drug, but for complete recovery from enterobiasis, the drug should be repeated or three times with an interval of 2 weeks. The purpose of this course is to prevent the development of helminths in case of possible re-infection at the time of the first dose of the drug.
It should be borne in mind that within four to five days after taking the medicine, the child secretes pinworms in environment and can be contagious to others.
The drugs currently used to treat enterobiasis are very effective. Nevertheless, the need for a follow-up examination is usually associated with its persistent and prolonged course and pronounced manifestations of this disease in the child. Mandatory re-examination is carried out no earlier than 2 weeks after the end of the course of treatment. Treatment is considered successful when three negative tests are obtained during examination at an interval of 2 weeks.
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What are the consequences of enterobiasis?
Immune suppression
Reduced effectiveness of vaccinations
It should be noted that the presence of pinworms leads to a decrease in the effectiveness of preventive vaccinations. At vaccinations the formation of immunity deteriorates, therefore, to increase the effectiveness of vaccinations, you must first make sure that the child’s body is free of helminths.
Developmental delay
Enterobiasis leads to some delay in the neuropsychic development of children. Pinworms and their life processes emit substances that are toxic to the body, as a result of which the body may develop headache, fatigue, decreased activity. With this disease it is detected high level irritability and difficulty falling asleep associated with perianal itching.
The levels of copper, zinc and magnesium in the blood of children infected with enterobiasis are significantly lower than those of uninfected children. The lack of these microelements can negatively affect the physical and mental development children.
Are there possible complications with enterobiasis?
Against the background of enterobiasis, children often develop urinary tract infections, and girls may experience vulvovaginitis. Other complications of enterobiasis may include appendicitis (inflammation of the appendix of the intestine), fissures in the anus, and sometimes nighttime.
How to avoid enterobiasis in the future?
Due to the high prevalence and high risk of contracting this disease, it is advisable for children (and at the same time all family members) to undergo a preventive course of treatment once a year "Pyrantel" without preliminary testing. It is better to do this 2 weeks after the start of the visit kindergarten, or in January-February.
To prevent infection with enterobiasis and your family, you should follow the following rules. Attention: the same rules must be followed during treatment for enterobiasis.
- Teach your children personal hygiene skills. Wean children from the habit of putting fingers and toys in their mouth.
- Wash your hands often with soap, lather them twice, and do this as often as possible.
- Keep your nails short.
- Wash your child thoroughly in the morning and evening.
- Wear panties with elastic around the hips at night, which will protect his arms from getting dirty and reduce the dispersion of pinworm eggs in the room.
- Change or wash your baby's underwear daily.
- Change bed linen often (be sure to carefully remove it from the bed without excessive shaking in the room), wash linen at a temperature of at least 60 ° C, iron with a hot iron.
- Carry out regular wet cleaning of premises with frequent changes of water or rinsing rags for washing floors under running water. When cleaning, use active detergents (detergent powders, soda, mustard), which effectively remove helminth eggs.
Since these eggs are covered with a sticky fat-like substance that firmly fixes them on any surface, it is almost impossible to do without these products during the cleaning process. Clean carpets with a vacuum cleaner or beat them. Keeping bedding and soft toys outside in the cold or in the bright sun for 2-3 hours in summer has a detrimental effect on pinworm eggs.
Hand washing is not just a habit, it is a way to protect yourself from many infectious diseases.
It’s hard to find a person who doesn’t know that you need to follow the rules of hygiene: brush your teeth, maintain order where you live and, of course, wash your hands. All this has become familiar to us, and we often don’t even think about what will happen if we don’t do this. But the habit of washing our hands is very important; it saves us from many dangerous diseases.
WASH YOUR HANDS
Mandatory hand washing before eating and after using the toilet is not just a fad. This is a necessity designed to protect our body from many pathogens that accumulate on our hands.
Hands are our main tool, which we constantly use in everyday life. We handle a variety of objects: door handles, handrails, money, computer mouse. But all these things are not sterile at all; thousands of pathogenic microorganisms have found refuge on them. By touching these contaminated things, we transfer some of the germs to our hands.
WHAT DISEASES CAN YOU GET IF YOU DO NOT WASH YOUR HANDS?
Many infectious diseases can be contracted through unwashed hands. Among them:
- cholera
- typhoid fever
- hepatitis A
- dysentery
- influenza and other acute respiratory viral infections
- salmonellosis
- diseases caused by worms
The causative agents of these and many other diseases fall into our hands. Then we touch our faces with our hands, take food with unwashed hands, or bring unwashed hands to our mouth, and thereby open the door for infection to enter the body.
Of course, with a strong, operational, immune system such infiltrations by enemy infiltrators must be neutralized. But if the immune system is weakened, then we risk “getting” one of the diseases of dirty hands.
INTESTINAL INFECTIONS
Intestinal infections very often enter the body through dirty hands. Their frequency especially increases in summer, when air temperature promotes the activation of pathogenic microorganisms. Signs of intestinal infections - nausea, vomiting, diarrhea.
ACUTE RESPIRATORY INFECTIONS
In season colds Frequent hand washing is one of the main means to prevent pathogens from entering the body. This method is effective for both bacteria and viruses. Regular hand washing reduces the likelihood of contracting ARVI several times.
ARVI and the flu, a representative of this class of diseases that we all know, are especially dangerous due to their complications, including pneumonia, otitis media, and meningitis.
HEPATITIS A
Hepatitis A virus can also be contracted through contaminated hands. The mode of transmission of this disease is fecal-oral. Those. Unwashed hands after using the toilet or contaminated food allow infection to enter the body. Then the virus enters the liver with the blood and destroys its cells - hepatocytes.
This is a serious disease that disrupts liver function and requires long-term treatment. Hepatitis can be severe and lead to irreversible damage to the liver.
WORMS
I stroked an animal in which worms live, and then forgot to wash my hands - this is a very common way for worms to enter the human body. The most common worms that enter us this way are pinworms and roundworms. They can cause us a lot of trouble in the form of nausea, weakness, and headaches. The larvae can enter the lungs, muscles, eyes and settle there. Intestinal obstruction may develop, allergies may appear, and other dangerous manifestations of the appearance of “tenants” in the body may occur.
A simple procedure saves us from all these dangerous diseases - washing our hands. You can avoid diseases of dirty hands by using a universal product - soap. This disinfectant removes up to 99% of viruses and bacteria settled there.
WASH YOUR HANDS
Wash your hands after using the toilet.
Be sure to wash your hands before eating
Wash your hands when you get home
Wash your hands when you come to work
You should NOT wash your hands poorly, just for show, because such washing may not bring the desired effect and too many germs will remain on your hands. According to the technology, you need to thoroughly lather your hands with soap several times, and then rinse it off under running warm water. This is the only way we can remove pathogens from our hands.
You need to wash your hands with soap for at least 30 seconds
Do not forget to lather the faucet handle with soap, because the maximum amount of bacteria accumulates on it
Rub the soap under your nails too
Remember, the more foam, the cleaner your hands will be.
Jewelry must be removed before washing your hands.
Creation date: 2014/04/01
According to various sources, no more than 20 percent of first-graders, whom doctors would call healthy, come to Russian schools on September 1. They finish it in decent condition and even less - in different regions from 2 to 10 percent. Among the “stealers” of health are difficult socio-economic conditions, an unfavorable ecological environment, bad habits and school with its intense workload, stress, reduced physical activity. The negative “contribution” of the latter ranges from 20 to 40 percent. Therefore, the question of how to maintain the level of health with which a child comes to class is more relevant than ever for parents today.
I would like to dwell on bad habits. These include the following: not washing your hands, biting your nails, drinking from the same container, putting various objects in your mouth. The most common habit among children is not washing their hands. Many children say: “What is the use of washing your hands endlessly? They will soon get dirty again anyway.” Nobody argues: children's hands really get very dirty when playing on the street, in the yard or even at home - it cannot be otherwise. But the more dirty they get, the more often they need to be washed.
You can experimentally study the condition of your hands. To do this, you need to dilute the gelatin in warm water, sterilize the Petri dishes in a muffle cabinet, and pour the gelatin solution into them. Number each plate. Leave the solution to harden. When the solution has hardened, you can invite your friends and invite them to wash their hands with different soaps, rinsing them in different dishes. Then, using a pipette, you need to take two drops from different plates and drop them into cups with the nutrient medium. Place the Petri dishes in a dark place.
After a week, we can say that the mold that has formed has become visible. The source of mold is microbes on the hands of the people being studied. After a few more days, using a microscope, you can see the environment of dirty hands.
Therefore, it is clear that if you accidentally rub your eyes with dirty hands, they can become inflamed from the microbes that have entered (this disease is called conjunctivitis). If you put your fingers in your mouth or eat food with unwashed hands, the pathogenic microbes that are abundant on dirty hands will cause an upset stomach or inflammation of the intestines, abdominal pain and diarrhea.
Diseases of dirty hands are diseases that can always be prevented. There are many ways to prevent it, but one of the most accessible is to wash your hands before eating. Therefore, all parents make sure that their children keep their hands clean and wash them often enough.
Hygiene rules:
- Wash your hands before eating after each visit to public places.
- Rinse vegetables and fruits thoroughly (preferably with boiling water).
- Do not drink tap water.
- Do not drink from the same container with other people.
- Do not wear someone else’s clothes and do not use someone else’s personal hygiene products (toothbrush, comb, washcloth, scissors, etc.).
- Do not bite your nails or various objects.
- Do not touch or scratch sore areas.
- If a wound appears on the skin, you should immediately contact your parents or doctor.
- Do not buy food in questionable places (lack of food storage conditions).
- Do not drink carbonated drinks, especially if the bottles have been left open. It is better to drink water or fruit juice.
- Wash your hands before going to bed. Otherwise, you may accidentally rub your face in your sleep.
- It is necessary to wash your hands before using the toilet, and then again after using the toilet.
- You can play as much as you want and get your hands dirty with anything, but you can’t rub your eyes or put your fingers in your mouth until you thoroughly wash your hands with soap.
No one is immune from diseases of dirty hands! Many people need to remember that health is in their own hands. Everyone can avoid eating dirty and stale foods and wash their hands before eating, but if you don’t do this, then you need to forget about your health!
According to medical statistics, children are more susceptible to skin diseases than adults. And not only because they are less careful and, without hesitating for a moment, will take a stray puppy into their arms or enthusiastically begin to look for “treasures” in a heap of trash thrown away by someone.
There is a risk in this. But the main danger is that children are more susceptible to infections than their mothers and fathers.
They do not have such a “hardened” body, so many things in the world around them that are natural for an adult cause a painful reaction in them.
Doctors warn: treatment of skin diseases in children can only begin after a doctor has determined accurate diagnosis. The symptoms of many diseases are similar, but the treatment required is different.
If you take the wrong path, you can waste time and make the problem worse. And yet, the more fully informed parents are about possible dangers, the higher the chances that they can be avoided.
Frequent infections
Erythema infectiosum At first it occurs like a classic cold. Then rashes appear on the face and body.
The disease spreads by airborne droplets; an infected person is especially dangerous to others at the early stage of the disease, before a rash appears.
Medicines (including painkillers) are prescribed by a doctor. The baby should drink more fluids and adhere to bed rest. Active games and physical activity contraindicated.
Toxic (infectious) erythema. Advice for parents from the Union of Pediatricians of Russia:
Chicken pox reveals itself as a rash that causes itching and a constant desire to scratch the skin, so the infection spreads very quickly throughout the body.
Small wounds form at the site of redness. For more late stages Diseases cover the skin with blisters, which open, dry out, and turn into scabs.
Coxsackie disease has a second name - “hand-foot-mouth”. First, sores appear in the mouth, then blisters and a rash (not causing itching) on the arms and legs, and sometimes on the buttocks. Body temperature rises sharply.
The infection spreads through airborne droplets and through the diapers of a sick child. Doctors prescribe Acetaminophen to the patient, recommend drinking more fluids, and caring adults to wash their hands more often.
Disease of the palms, feet and mouth - Coxsackie enterovirus, advice to parents from Pediatrician Plus:
Experts explain its nature by problems of heredity and the baby’s weak immune system (by the way, 80 percent of cases are children under 7 years of age).
The treatment is long-term, since it is necessary not only to get rid of the external manifestations of dermatitis, but also to eliminate the threat of relapse.
This problem is common in young children, especially if parents dress them too warmly: the child sweats, and the body reacts to this with the appearance of a rash. They fight it with the help of talc, decoctions medicinal herbs.
Problems due to changes in the nervous system
Diseases in this group include neurodermatitis(redness and thickening of skin areas, the formation of nodules on them - papules) and psoriasis(flaky areas of different sizes and shapes).
Both diseases are chronic and difficult to treat with medication.
They are often “family”, passed down from generation to generation, and their outbreak is provoked by any previous illness, stress, or disruptions in the immune system.
How to prevent
In the article, we indicated the names, gave a description and showed what common skin diseases in children - newborns, preschool and older children - look like in the photo, and briefly talked about the treatment of childhood diseases of a dermatological nature.
Many skin problems (whatever their nature) can be avoided if you teach your child hygiene from the earliest years of his life.
You also need to keep the entire house clean, avoid allergenic foods and stressful situations for children.
If a problem does arise, you need to take it seriously and seek help from a doctor as quickly as possible.
Illnesses always take us by surprise, disrupting plans and knocking life out of its usual rhythm. It can be especially frustrating when we realize that troubles could have been avoided if we had been a little more careful and prudent. First of all, this applies to the so-called “diseases of dirty hands” - ailments that appear when the rules of personal hygiene are not carefully observed.
How can you get infected through unwashed hands?
Everyone knows that many diseases are transmitted through objects touched by an infected person. However, for some reason this is not a direct guide to action for most people. British scientists conducted a survey in which 100 thousand Englishmen participated, and were horrified: about 62% of men and 40% of women admitted that they did not wash their hands even after visiting the toilet! What can we say about observing hygiene rules before eating or after returning from public places?
Meanwhile, basic hand washing with soap can protect us from the following ailments:
- Dysentery;
- Escherichiosis (intestinal coli infection).
- Typhoid fever;
- Cholera;
- Salmonellosis.
One of the most dangerous diseases that can be contracted through dirty hands is hepatitis A (jaundice, Botkin's disease). Its pathogen enters the body with food and affects liver cells. The course of the disease is severe; in the presence of chronic diseases, numerous complications can develop. Even with a high immune status, complete recovery takes almost a year. Hepatitis A is especially dangerous because not only sick and recovering people are contagious, but also those people whose incubation (hidden) period has not yet ended.
Diseases such as rotavirus (stomach flu) can also be transmitted through unwashed hands. Until recently, it was believed that this disease was spread exclusively by airborne droplets, but recent studies have shown that about 20% of infections are associated precisely with neglect of personal hygiene rules. It has also been proven that common flu viruses, as well as ARVI, can be introduced into the body through dirty hands.
Young children who frequently touch their faces with their hands easily become infected with conjunctivitis, blepharitis and other eye infections. For children attending preschool institutions, various helminthic infestations often occur, transmitted in a similar way.
How to minimize the risk of infection?
There is only one answer: you need to wash your hands on time and correctly. The causative agents of illnesses, as a rule, are found in those places and objects that are touched large number people:
- Door handles;
- Handrails and seats in public transport;
- Store shelves;
- Telephone handsets;
- Banknotes and coins;
- Keyboards of computers, ATMs and payment terminals;
- Benches and chairs located in crowded places.
Therefore, it is necessary to thoroughly wash your hands after returning home, upon arriving at work, before eating and after each visit to the toilet. In case water and soap are unavailable, you should always have wet wipes with you. You should refrain from eating outside; as a last resort, eat without touching the food with your hands (it’s correct to hold the ice cream or bun by the wrapper). Under no circumstances should you eat unwashed vegetables and fruits.
You need to wash your hands with soap, thoroughly lathering them several times and rinsing with plenty of water. Soap does not have to be bactericidal (according to latest research, this is more harmful than useful). If your hand skin is dry, you can use liquid soap or its varieties containing a moisturizer. You should especially thoroughly wash your palms and areas under your nails: this is where most of the bacteria accumulate.
When teaching children the rules of personal hygiene, parents should first of all pay attention to their behavior in everyday life. If mom or dad forgets to wash their hands, the child will definitely copy it. Therefore, if you want to protect your child from troubles, you should inspire him by personal example, which is always more effective than any teaching.
Text: Emma Murga
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