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Monitoring & prevention
Even after treating pinworms effectively and repeating the dose two weeks later to ensure it won’t come back, these patients are recommended to go through long-term monitoring and follow-up examinations to ensure no reinfection is found. Keep in mind that sometimes the first examination after anthelmintic treatment shows no eggs of Enterobius vermicularis. But follow-up examinations can reveal eggs, and children can still have symptoms such as perianal itching.
On the other hand, preventing reinfection is also crucial for children, parents, and other family members. Preventing pinworm infections in the family can be done by improving family hygiene and washing hands thoroughly before eating. Family members who live in the same house as the patient is at a higher risk, and those sleeping in the same bed have an even higher risk. They should bathe right after waking up to reduce the chance of egg transmission. Scratching the anal area should be discouraged as well as sucking fingers, which is a very important measure in children.
As mentioned; treatment will be more effective when family members and classmates are treated simultaneously. At the same time, constantly washing bed sheets, towels, and other personal implements is also essential to reduce the chance of pinworm spread as it eliminates the eggs on these surfaces.
