PARENTS need to pay more attention to a child’s health in their growing years. Among health issues that affect children is the presence of worms in the child’s stomach or intestine mostly due to an unclean environment, which takes a serious toll on health and growth.
World Health Organisation (WHO) says soil-transmitted worm infections are among the most common infections in humans, caused by a group of parasites commonly referred to as worms, including roundworms, whipworms and hookworms. These intestinal worms can severely affect the child’s nutrition and growth.
If the worms are not removed, they can multiply and lay eggs in the intestine, leading to major damage to the body. Some of these intestinal parasites can even be fatal and hence should not be ignored. Parasitic worms can also lead to malnourishment.
Dr Johnson Oluyemi Osokor, director of public health services, Oyo State Primary Health Care board stated that regular deworming, a process of using medication to remove an infestation of worms in the intestine, is important because often many children can become malnourished due to worm infestation.
He declared: “Many school children are malnourished; nutrition is the essential building block for health. A healthy and well-grown child performs well in school. So, every child needs to be dewormed. Worms live on the body nutrients that children need to grow. A deficiency of micronutrients will affect the development of the brain. So, it is very important for us to remove all those parasites.”
He declared that there are different types of deworming medicines but generally the one given is that able to take care of many types of worms at the same time.
“Basically, different types of worms can be in the body at the same time; for instance, you may have two or more types of worms, including tapeworm, roundworm, pinworm, hookworm coexist inside one single body,” he added.
Osokor, Chairman of Medical Officers of Health and PHC coordinators in Oyo state, who linked malnutrition in children also to poverty and food insecurity, stated that usually the diet of children found to be malnourished during hospital visits are usually augmented with micronutrient food supplements supplied by the Government.
Dr Monday Famakin, Chief Medical officer of health and Director, Primary Health Care, Ibadan North LGA linked some cases of worm infestation in children to poor food handling, sanitation and handwashing.
He added “When children come back from play in school or at home, they don’t wash their hands. Meanwhile, they may nimble their nails or hands not properly washed. In the process, they get themselves infected with eggs of worms. Sometimes, they don’t wash their hands after defecation and in the process, they also get themselves infected.
“Also, this may be from vegetables and fruits not properly thoroughly washed. Eggs that are attached to vegetables are ingested when the vegetables are not carefully cooked, washed or peeled.
“In addition, hookworm eggs hatch in the soil, releasing larvae that mature into a form that can actively penetrate the skin. People become infected with hookworm primarily by walking barefoot on the contaminated soil.
Howbeit, aside from worm infestation invariably affecting their IQ, Dr Famakin said children with worms also stand the risk of becoming anaemic and stunted, especially when they are infected with blood-sucking worms like hook worm.
He added, “People with infections of light intensity (few worms) usually do not suffer from the infection. Heavier infections can result in a range of symptoms including intestinal manifestations (diarrhoea and abdominal pain), malnutrition, general malaise and weakness, and impaired growth and physical development.
“Fever, abdominal pain, itching at the rectal area, loss of weight and appetite, tiredness, anaemia along with loose stools and vomiting are the major signs of worm infestation. If de-worming is ignored, these worms have the ability to form cysts in the liver and lungs leading to pneumonia and other neurological conditions. Also, infections of very high intensity can cause intestinal obstruction that would require to be treated surgically.”
Dr Famakin suggested that mothers de-worm their children regularly, at least, every two years to eliminate infecting worms as it can boost the child’s immunity, help control infections and increase nutritional uptake.
WHO recommends schoolchildren in endemic areas to be regularly treated.
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