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Worm infections that affect around a third of all children lead to malnutrition and anaemia, resulting in retarded growth and making the children more vulnerable to other diseases, warn doctors, in an effort to move more mothers to regular deworming of their kids
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According to Dr.Githanga, a pediatrician at Nairobi Hospital, Doctors Plaza, worms are a major cause of malnutrition and under nutrition, because 'they compete with us for food.'
This is especially a health issue among the children as they are at the peak of their growth.
Worms can limit nutrients absorption and cause internal bleeding, leading to anemia and malnutrition thereby making children either too sick or too tired to concentrate in class or attend school.
According to World health Organization(WHO), worms infect more than a third of the world’s population; with 50 per cent being kids of the school going age between 6-15 years. Kids are more prone to worm infections than adults because most have a ‘hand to mouth’ habit and pick up worms in the process.
There are over three hundred species of worms, some water transmitted and some soil-transmitted; among them round worms, pin worms, hookworms, tape worms and whip worms.
Most worms have a direct relationship with the environment; and while a few worms will do little damage to one’s health, as the number of worms increases one’s 'worm load,’ illness and disease become progressively severe and irreversible, and damage caused by worm infections in early life could be carried over into adulthood.
A kid who has suffered persistent and heavy infections is for instance more likely to have chronic irreversible diseases, such as liver fibrosis, cancer of the bladder and kidney failure later in life.
Some of the symptoms of worm infections include stomach pain, coughing, fever, vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite, a swollen belly, blood in stools or urine, and fatigue,
Some may also cause itching, while others such as hookworms may cause bleeding, which may lead to iron deficiency.
Doctors recommend that parents deworm their kids regularly once the reach the outdoors going age and ensure that the kids are in shoes while outdoors.
‘It’s all about looking after the environment,’ said Dr.Githanga.
People may also pick up worms as a result of eating badly cooked beef ,uncooked food and vegetables washed with water from the sewers
World Health Organization(WHO), recommends mass deworming in schools; and this has proved helpful, with a report by National Bureau of Economic Research showing that this reduces school absenteeism by 25 per cent, with gains being especially among the younger kids.
Even for those living in a hygienic environment, periodical deworming as a routine is also recommended in kids, as they too may pick up worms in the process of the hand-to-mouth behavior common among the kids.
The doctor recommends that’s kids be always with shoes when outdoors with deworming being done every 6-8 months; but for unhygienic areas; this can be done as often as every three months.
Deworming drugs are readily available in chemists and are safe even when given to uninfected people; and simple stool analysis can be done at any medical lab.
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went to see the doctor, i was told he had food poisoning, he was given medicine
and the pain disappeared. After a week the pain came back and i took him to
Nairobi hospital only to be told the stomach was ok. A friend adviced me to
deworm my son which i did in May. i am to deworm him also this July. He has
greatly improved his appetite and no longer vomits as before. i regret for
having forgotten to deworm him more often. Parents, be very careful my son was
looking bad before but now his skin has even improved. Deworm your children.
Secondly, i have personally experienced blood in my stool. i went to hospital
and a blood occult test was done which turned out to be negative. The doctor
told me i was fine. I now just need to deworm myself, maybe, could be the worms.
Though the blood in the stool has stopped but i have become more vigilant.
Thanks to this article and am gonna deworm myself, my husband and my son TODAY!
God bless you.
Doctor Githanga, i will visit you some day.
Everlyne.