What are the symptoms of pinworms? and how do I treat?

What the evidence says

Most children with pinworms actually have no symptoms at all. When symptoms do show up, the most common one is intense itching around the anus, especially at night — this can disrupt sleep and make kids cranky or irritable. Girls can sometimes get itching or irritation around the vagina too.

You might even spot the small white, thread-like worms yourself, most easily at night or first thing in the morning, on the skin around the anus, in the stool, or near the vaginal opening. Pinworms spread easily: eggs get onto hands, toys, bedding, or toilet seats, then into someone else's mouth. Eggs can survive on surfaces for up to two weeks, which is why the whole household often gets treated together.

To confirm the diagnosis, doctors usually don't use stool or blood tests. Instead, they look for worms at night or use a simple sticky-tape test on the skin around the anus first thing in the morning, since a single test catches only about half of cases and repeating it over a few mornings is more reliable. Treatment is an oral anti-parasite medication (such as mebendazole or pyrantel pamoate) given as one dose, then repeated in about two weeks since the medicine doesn't kill the eggs.

In Canada, some of these products are available without a prescription, but children under 2 years old or under 12 kg should see a doctor first. Itching can linger for a week or two even after successful treatment, and reinfection is common, so good handwashing, short fingernails, and discouraging thumb-sucking or nail-biting all help prevent it coming back. If itching persists beyond two weeks or you're unsure, check in with your child's doctor or pharmacist.