Helminthiases are a group of parasitic diseases that are characterized by a high degree of infection. Helminth eggs are very resilient, can stay on various surfaces in the environment for a long time and at the same time retain their vitality. It is sad that helminth eggs surround us everywhere: in earth, water, earth, dust, on food and animal hair. However, preventing infection is very easy, all you need to do is follow a few preventive measures: personal hygiene rules and general hygiene standards. After all, worm prevention is the best way to protect yourself from helminth invasion.
Routes of infection with helminthiasis
You can get infected with worms in the following ways:
- when consuming contaminated meat and fish;
- when eating unwashed vegetables and herbs, fruits and berries;
- from dirty hands;
- some aquatic parasites can penetrate the skin;
- by infected insects that are intermediate hosts of the larvae;
- from infected feces;
- from pets infected with parasites.
Prevention of worms in adults
Prevention of worms in humans is not limited only to observing the rules of personal hygiene, pharmacological preparations are also used for prophylactic purposes. Synthetic anthelmintics are prescribed only by a specialist, depending on the age, weight and general health of the patient. You should not self-medicate and take such drugs yourself, since parasites are of different types and live not only in the intestines, but also in other organs. In addition, do not forget that if you take the wrong dose of the drug or take it in an uncontrolled manner, you can seriously harm the body.
Firstly, if the wrong dosage is used, the parasites do not die, but migrate from the gastrointestinal tract to other organs.
Second, anthelmintics are very toxic, they can cause severe intoxication in the body and damage to the liver.
Third, most anthelmintics only act on adults, and their larvae and eggs remain intact.
Prevention of worms is a series of measures that are not limited to just one pill or just the rules of personal hygiene. In some cases it is only sufficient to observe only personal hygiene, while in others these measures are few and are supplemented by pharmacological agents. Only the doctor decides in which cases the usual precautionary measures are sufficient and in which cases they should be supplemented with tablets.
Compliance with the rules of personal hygiene
However, everyone knows the well-known saying that it is easier to prevent a disease than to cure it. Before the disease becomes noticeable, it is better to observe the basic rules of personal hygiene. In addition, preventive measures are quite simple and very effective. Protective measures against parasitic infections:
- frequent hand washing with soap and water, especially after using the toilet and before eating;
- frequent changes of underwear and bed linen;
- high quality heat treatment of meat and fish;
- Refusal to eat raw meat and fish products, as well as low or medium steak;
- thorough washing of vegetables, herbs, fruits and berries under running water;
- Use smoked, salted or dried fish with extreme caution,
- after each contact with pets, hands should be washed thoroughly and the litter box cleaned with protective gloves, the litter box and bowls must also be treated with a disinfectant;
- Ironing of underwear and bed linen after washing;
- do not use water from unknown sources as food and do not swim in unknown waters;
- cut your nails short, as helminth eggs can remain in the nail hole even after thorough hand washing;
- Deworming pets on a regular basis;
- Use protective gloves when cleaning the premises and when working in the garden.
How to protect children from parasites
Young children are potential victims of helminths because babies cannot perform personal hygiene on their own. In addition, at this age they get to know the world around them, taste everything. Therefore, there is a high possibility of developing a parasitic invasion in a child. In this case, the child's parents will take preventive measures. However, it is impossible to keep track of the babies, at this age they are quite active and can get helminthiasis all at once.
For the prevention of worms in children it is necessary:
- Wash your child's hands often from a young age to get them used to the basics of personal hygiene.
- iron baby's underwear and bedding;
- disinfect his toys and wash soft toys in hot water;
- Do not let pets sleep in the same bed with your child;
- Teach your child to wash their hands after all contact with pets;
- subject food to high-quality heat treatment for the child;
- Wash vegetables and fruits thoroughly under running water;
- keep the nursery clean and tidy;
- treat the place where the child is crawling with disinfectant (if they are under 1 year old);
If an infection has suddenly appeared, only a doctor should prescribe methods of treating helminthiasis. You shouldn't self-medicate as your child's health and life are at stake.
Anthelmintics are powerful toxins. It is necessary to treat the child with it with great care and under the strict supervision of the attending physician. Only the doctor prescribes the type and dose of the drug, as each drug has different ages.
It is only possible to give a child anti-worm medicine if he has been accurately diagnosed with a parasitic invasion. Otherwise, you should not expose the child to the toxic effects of anthelmintics. Parents should coordinate all their actions only with the attending physician.
How do you take pills for worms?
All drugs against worms are divided into:
- Drugs with a narrow spectrum of action;
- Broad spectrum drugs.
The first drugs act on a certain type of helminth and only destroy them. The second type of drug affects most parasites of various types (round, flat, and tapeworms). In addition, some drugs affect the helminth's respiratory system, others cause muscle paralysis, others stop the process of glucose absorption, and still others block metabolic processes in the worm's body. All of these actions contribute to the death of parasites and their elimination from the body.
Experts believe that helminthiasis prevention should be done twice a year. Once in early spring and the second in late autumn, before the cold spell sets in. It is necessary to use drugs at the same time if the patient has symptoms caused by a parasitic invasion. Usually these are:
- Stomach pain;
- Nausea and vomiting;
- Itching in the anus;
- general weakness and malaise;
- Insomnia;
- Weight loss.
Anthelmintic therapy is carried out for no more than 3-5 days. With a single dose of worm medication, not all parasites may die, and the rest can migrate from the intestines to other organs and even have time to lay eggs. After two weeks, it is necessary to repeat taking anthelmintics in order to destroy the newly appeared helminths.
Anthelmite therapy consists of three phases that last approximately two weeks:
- The first week prepares for the expulsion of parasites from the body. To do this, they adhere to a light diet, take drugs that improve the outflow of bile and the work of the gastrointestinal tract.
- The second stage is the direct administration of anthelmintics. The duration of treatment is 5 days.
- The third stage is the elimination of dead parasites from the body. For this purpose, laxatives and enemas are used. The last stage is very important because helminths can break down the bodies, which leads to severe poisoning in humans.
Anthelmintics
On the pharmacological market, tablets against worms are also very well presented in various price categories. For the prevention of worms, the following pharmacological agents are used:
Based on levamisole
The drugs help improve the body's defenses by producing the necessary antibodies in the blood. In addition, drugs inhibit the process of glucose oxidation (glycolysis), thereby causing the death of parasites. The drugs are effective against various parasitic invasions. Side effects are observed in the form of nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain.
Based on mebendazole
Most effective in the treatment of ascariasis, enterobiasis and trichocephalosis. The drugs disrupt metabolic processes in the parasite's body, thereby causing its death. The funds are highly toxic as they can accumulate in the body. Because of this, you shouldn't use them alone without a doctor's prescription as they can cause serious harm to the body. Contraindicated in pregnancy and breastfeeding as well as in chronic diseases.
based on albendazole
The drugs effectively destroy both helminths and protozoa, making them suitable for use in mixed parasitic infections. It should be used with caution in people with liver disease. The dosage and frequency of use is chosen individually in each individual case, as it depends on the type of parasite and the degree of infection. The use of these drugs for prophylaxis is quite reliable protection against various types of parasites.