Prevention is simple: wash your hands regularly and properly, before preparing food, after using the toilet, when eating. It can also be helpful to cut children’s fingernails short and to change their underwear every day. Also remember to change the sheets regularly and open the shutters of the bedrooms since pinworms are sensitive to light.

It is quite possible to take an anti-pinworm treatment once a year, even if there are no signs, given the frequency of the infection.

Medical treatments

In case of pinworms, it is important to treat the whole family and not just the affected child. The latter must avoid scratching as much as possible. The treatments, often drinkable suspensions, are available over the counter in pharmacies. These are antihelminthics (Fluvermal (flubendazole) for example) which may be recommended by a pharmacist. The treatment used should be renewed between 10 days and three weeks after the first dose.