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Treatment overview
Treatment of this infection has a very high chance of success, and it is usually done with anthelmintic drugs. They include albendazole, mebendazole, and pyrantel pamoate. They are all effective against this parasite but may not immediately reduce irritation and itching symptoms. These symptoms should be treated with hygiene, creams, and other symptomatic treatments.
If you are treating pinworms, you need to know that reinfection is very common after completing medical treatment. In some cases, we can also have parasites with drug resistance. Both problems make the eradication of pinworms difficult, and that is why doctors usually recommend a second dose of the medication administered two weeks after the first one.
It is also essential to treat any other family member or classmate infected with the disease simultaneously. Combine these measures with personal hygiene, washing hands regularly, and discouraging children from finger-sucking and other activities that may increase the likelihood of reinfection.
In some cases, many children in the same classroom can have a pinworm infection. If that is the case, they should all undergo treatment with a second dose after two weeks, as mentioned above. Even children who apparently do not have the infection should be treated, but only when more than 30% of classmates are affected. Only those who tested positive should be treated when fewer children are involved.
A parasitologist can treat this infection, but it is also treated by infectious disease specialists or pediatricians.
