Preventing Classroom Pinworm Infestations

How to Keep Teachers Safe from Infection by Pinworms

Teachers are usually very prone into getting infections. Certain steps have to be taken by teachers in order for them to avoid infections and for them to ensure that the classroom where they conduct their teaching is free from pinworm-infestation. But before anything else, it is very important that teachers understand what really pinworms are.

Pinworms are roundworms that are small in terms of size. Their colour ranges from white to yellow-white. What they usually produce is a rectal area that is irritated, itchy, and red. Pinworms are oftentimes being seen at the middle of night time, usually on the hours when children are already fast asleep. The itch that they create is mostly felt during this time of the night. In these hours, female pinworms are coming out from the body. Then they will lay their eggs in the area near the anus. They do this when the host is sleeping.

Children that are aged five to ten are very prone to pinworm infections. It is very easy to contract pinworms. Though pinworm infections are very common, it is not hard to avoid its spread within the classroom.

Preventing Pinworm Infection within the Classroom

The best way by which teachers could avoid having a pinworm infestation within the classroom is by instructing teaching students to properly wash their hands. Children must always be motivated to wash their hands. They must always remember that hygiene is very important. A good way of doing that is by having hand washing charts inside the classroom, wherein students could place stickers whenever they wash their hands.

There are other different methods by which pinworm infections could be avoided. Among those are the following:

• Do not let students suck different objects such as their hands, fingers, or their writing materials like the pencil, ballpen, or crayon. These materials could be contaminated and could be a possible source of pinworms.

• Do not allow students to bite their nails.

• Inform also the parents about pinworm infections. By keeping them knowledgeable about the said infection, they would be able to conduct necessary steps to avoid having that infection.

In addition to those things listed above, what is most important is that the surroundings of the classroom must be ensured to be always clean and sanitized. In this way, contaminated surfaces will be avoided from getting contact with the children. This is very important especially for those surfaces where children are consuming their snacks or their lunches.

Diagnosing and Treating Pinworm Infections

It is not easy for teachers to diagnose pinworm infections because its nature is very personal. However, there are signs that could be easily spotted. These warning signs must be immediately be said to the parents so that they could take the most appropriate actions. One of the signs that a child is infected with pinworm is if he often scratches his rectal area. Also, if a child is shifting restlessly in his seat, he may also be infected. Another sign is if a child always complains of an itching feeling.

Treating pinworms is quite simple. The normal thing that is being done after being diagnosed of having the infection is that a child is tasked to take a medicine. All that has to be followed is the dosage prescribed by the doctor.

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