Pinworms are one of the most common intestinal parasite infections worldwide, especially in school-age children. They don’t come from bad hygiene alone — they spread very easily from person to person because the eggs are so small and durable.
Here is how it works and how to prevent reinfection:
*1. How infection happens*
– The adult female worm lives in the colon. At night, she moves out to the skin around the anus to lay thousands of microscopic eggs. That’s what causes the intense nighttime itching.
– When a child scratches, eggs stick under fingernails and on fingers.
– Those eggs can survive for 2-3 weeks on surfaces: bedding, pajamas, towels, toys, desks, doorknobs, bathroom faucets, and even in house dust.
– Infection happens when the eggs are swallowed — finger to mouth, contaminated food, or inhaled from dust and then swallowed. The eggs hatch in the small intestine and the cycle starts again.
– It can spread quickly within a household, so if one child has symptoms, other family members often get it too.
