Helminthiasis are a group of parasitic diseases characterized by a high degree of infection. Helminth eggs are very resistant, they are able to stay on various surfaces of the environment for a long time while maintaining their vitality. It is sad that helminth eggs surround us everywhere: in soil, water, dirt, dust, on food and animal hair. However, it is quite easy to prevent infection, for this it is enough to follow a few preventive measures: rules of personal hygiene and general sanitary standards. After all, preventing worms is the best way to protect yourself against the invasion of helminths.
Modes of helminth infection
You can get infected with worms in the following ways:
- by eating contaminated meat and fish;
- by eating unwashed vegetables and herbs, fruits and berries;
- by dirty hands;
- some parasites living in water are able to penetrate the skin;
- by infected insects, intermediate hosts of larvae;
- by infected feces;
- by animals infected with parasites.
Prevention of worms in adults
Prevention of worms in humans is not limited to compliance with 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 state of health of the patient. You should not self-medicate and take such drugs, since parasites are of different types and live not only in the intestines, but also in other organs. Also, do not forget that with the wrong dose of the drug or an uncontrolled intake of it, you can greatly harm the body.
First, if the wrong dose is applied, the parasites do not die, but migrate from the gastrointestinal tract to other organs.
Second, anthelmintic drugs are very toxic, they can cause severe poisoning in the body and damage to the liver.
Third, most anthelmintic drugs only affect adults, and their larvae and eggs remain unharmed.
<1_img_centerxx>The prevention of worms is a set of measures that are not limited to a single tablet or only the rules of personal hygiene. It's just that in some cases it is enough to observe only personal hygiene, while in others such measures are few, they are supplemented with pharmacological agents. Only the doctor determines in which cases the usual preventive measures are sufficient, and in which they should be supplemented with pills.
Respect for personal hygiene rules
However, everyone knows the well-known adage that it's easier to prevent a disease than it is to cure it. Before the disease makes itself felt, it is better to observe the basic rules of personal hygiene. In addition, the preventive actions 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 change of underwear and bedding;
- high-quality heat treatment of meat and fish;
- refusal to eat raw meat and fish products, as well as rare or medium rare steak;
- thoroughly wash vegetables, herbs, fruits and berries under running water;
- use smoked, salted or dried fish with extreme caution,
- after any contact with pets, the hands should be washed thoroughly and the cat litter should be cleaned with protective gloves; it is also necessary to treat the cat's tray and bowls with disinfectant;
- iron underwear and bed linen after washing;
- do not use water from unknown sources for food and do not swim in unknown bodies of water;
- cut your nails short, since helminth eggs can remain in the nail hole even after washing your hands thoroughly;
- regularly carry out deworming of domestic animals;
- use protective gloves when cleaning the premises, as well as when working in the garden.
How to protect children from parasites
Young children are potential victims of helminths because babies are unable to perform personal hygiene on their own. In addition, at this age, they get to know the world around them, to taste everything. Therefore, there is a high probability of developing a parasitic invasion in a child. In this case, the parents of the child take preventive measures. However, it is impossible to keep track of babies, at this age they are very active and they can get infected with helminthiasis at some point.
For the prevention of worms in children, it is necessary:
- wash your child's hands often, from an early age to get them used to the basics of personal hygiene;
- iron baby's underwear and bedding;
- disinfect their toys and wash the soft toys in hot water;
- do not let pets sleep in the same bed as your child;
- teach your child to wash their hands after each contact with animals;
- subjecting the food for the child to high-quality heat treatment;
- wash vegetables and fruit thoroughly under running water;
- keep the child's bedroom clean and tidy;
- treat the crawling area with disinfectant (if it is less than 1 year old).
If suddenly an infection has occurred, only a doctor should prescribe methods of treating helminthiasis. You don't have to self-medicate because your child's health and life is at stake.
Anthelmintic drugs are potent toxic agents. It is necessary to treat the child with them very carefully and under the strict supervision of the attending physician. Only the doctor prescribes the type and dose of the drug, because each drug has different age indications.
It is only possible to give a child medicine for worms when it has been correctly diagnosed with a parasitic invasion. Otherwise, you should not expose the child to the toxic effects of anthelmintic drugs. Parents should coordinate all their actions only with the attending physician.
How to take worm pills
All drugs for worms are divided into:
- narrow-spectrum drugs;
- broad spectrum drugs.
The first drugs affect a certain type of helminth and only destroy them. The second type of drugs affects most parasites of different types (roundworms, tapeworms, and tapeworms). In addition, some drugs affect the helminth's respiratory system, others cause muscle paralysis, others stop the process of glucose uptake, 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 the prevention of helminthiasis should be carried out twice a year. Once in early spring, and the second in late fall, before the onset of the cold period. It is necessary to use drugs at the same time that the patient has symptoms caused by a parasitic invasion. As a rule, these are:
- stomach ache;
- nausea and vomiting;
- itching in the anus;
- general weakness and malaise;
- insomnia;
- weightloss.
Anthelmintic treatment is carried out no more than 3-5 days. With a single dose of worm medication, not all parasites can die, and the rest are able to migrate from the intestines to other organs and even have time to lay eggs. After two weeks, it is necessary to repeat the intake of anthelmintic drugs in order to destroy the newly appeared helminths.
Treatment with anthelmintics consists of three stages, which last about two weeks:
- The first week prepares for the expulsion of parasites from the body. For these purposes, they maintain a light diet, take drugs that improve the outflow of bile and the work of the gastrointestinal tract.
- The second step is the direct administration of anthelmintic drugs. The duration of treatment is 5 days.
- The third step is the removal of dead parasites from the body. For this purpose, laxatives and enemas are used. The last stage is very important, because the bodies of helminths can begin to decompose, causing severe poisoning in humans.
Anthelmintic drugs
On the pharmacological market, tablets for worms are also showing very well in different price categories. For the prevention of worms, the following pharmacological agents are used:
Based on levamisole
Medicines help improve the body's defenses by producing the necessary antibodies in the blood. In addition, the drugs inhibit the process of glucose oxidation (glycolysis), thereby causing the death of the parasites. The drugs are effective for various parasitic invasions. Side effects are seen in the form of nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain.
Mebendazole based
Most effective in the treatment of ascariasis, enterobiasis and trichocephalosis. The drugs disrupt the metabolic processes in the body of the parasite, causing its death. Funds are highly toxic, as they can accumulate in the body. For this reason, you should not use them yourself without a doctor's prescription, as you can cause serious damage to the body. Contraindicated during pregnancy and lactation, as well as in the presence of chronic pathologies.
Albendazole based
The drugs effectively destroy both helminths and protozoa, so they are suitable for use in mixed parasitic infections. It should be used with caution in people with liver disease. The dosage and frequency of use are selected individually in each specific case, as they depend 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.