Worms in Children: Why Deworming Medicine Is Given Regularly
November 5, 2026 · 3 min read
Worm infections often cause no symptoms, yet they can quietly leave a child anaemic and slow their growth. Here is how worms spread and the role of regular deworming.
Worm infections are often seen as a small problem, because many infected children look perfectly healthy. Yet worms in the gut can slowly drain a child's nutrition.
How common it is
According to WHO, about 1.5 billion people worldwide are infected with soil transmitted worms, around 24 percent of the world's population. In areas where they spread a lot, more than 654 million school age children and more than 260 million preschool children need treatment and prevention.
How worms spread
- Worm eggs pass out in human faeces and contaminate soil where sanitation is poor.
- The eggs can be swallowed on vegetables that are not properly washed, cooked, or peeled, or in contaminated water.
- Children who play in soil and then put unwashed hands in their mouths can swallow eggs too.
- Hookworm larvae hatch in soil and can get through the skin, mainly when people walk barefoot.
Worms do not spread directly from person to person. The eggs need about 3 weeks in the soil before they can infect anyone.
The effect on children
WHO explains that worms feed on the body's tissue and blood, so the body loses iron and protein, and nutrients are poorly absorbed. Hookworms cause small, ongoing bleeding in the gut that can lead to anaemia. Heavy infections can cause diarrhoea, stomach pain, malnutrition, weakness, and poor growth and physical development.
Regular deworming
WHO recommends giving deworming medicine regularly to at risk groups in areas where worms are common, without a stool test first. The recommended medicines are albendazole 400 mg or mebendazole 500 mg. At risk groups include preschool children, school age children, women of childbearing age, including pregnant women in the second and third trimesters and breastfeeding women, and adults in risky jobs such as tea pickers and miners.
Follow the deworming schedule from your local health centre, community health post, or school. Pregnant women should take deworming medicine only when a midwife or doctor advises it.
Prevention is better
- Wash hands with soap, especially before eating and after using the toilet.
- Wash, peel, or cook vegetables and fruit properly.
- Use clean water.
- Wear footwear when playing or working on soil.
- Use a toilet rather than open ground.
A Coapotek pharmacist can help explain the choice of deworming medicine and how to take it for your child's age.
Sources
- World Health Organization. Soil-transmitted helminth infections, fact sheet, 18 January 2023.