THE HEALTH IMPACTS OF WORMS ON OUR SYSTEM

From the previous post, WORMS; WHEN DO THEY FALL IN OUR SYSTEM? ,, we talked about worms, and how they get into our system. But here we'll be talking on the impacts, and the dangers worms can pose on our general well-being.

Again, I'll like to remind you, especially parents, that worms are NOT an integral part of the human system. Your child having worms IS NOT a normal thing, as most parents have been made to believe. This is the more reason you need to take fast action if your child is infected or to prevent an imminent infection.

WORMS DON'T COME TO PLAY OR KEEP WARM, THEY HAVE COME TO HARM; THAT'S THEIR MEANS OF SURVIVAL. . .

To start with, worms can impair nutritional status by causing:

• Internal bleeding which can lead to loss of iron and anaemia.

• Malabsorption of nutrients.

• Diarrhoea.

• Loss of appetite which can lead to a reduction in energy intake.

• Infections can also cause cognitive impairment as well as tissue damage that may require corrective surgery.

• The nutritional impairment caused by soil-transmitted helminth infections during childhood has been shown to have a significant impact on growth and development of children.

• Worst of all, it could result in the death of the infected individual.

WHO IS AT RISK:

People at risk include:

- Preschool-aged children.

- School-aged children.

- Women of childbearing age (including pregnant women in the second and third trimesters and breastfeeding women).

TREATMENT OF HELMINTH INFECTIONS

Periodic treatment (deworming) of children together with improvement of water and sanitation, and health education can reduce the transmission of soil-transmitted helminth infections.

The World Health Organization recommends periodic treatment with anti-helminthic (deworming) medicines, without previous individual diagnosis to all at-risk people living in endemic areas.

Treatment should be given once a year when the prevalence of soil-transmitted helminth infections in the community is over 20%, and twice a year when the prevalence of soil-transmitted helminth infections in the community exceeds 50%. This intervention reduces morbidity by reducing the worm burden.

In addition:

Education on health and hygiene reduces transmission and reinfection by encouraging healthy behaviours; provision of adequate sanitation is also important but not always possible in resource-constrained settings.

#STAYHEALTHY #STAYSAFE

Medicalmattaz say so.