This morning, a first time mum went to the toilet.
Next thing we heard:
"AHHH! Something is coming out from my baby bum!"
We all ran there. And truly, a long live worm was coming out.
Before I could even say "Ascaris," she had already concluded:
"Someone has sent this to me!"
"This is spiritual!"
"Village people have finally come!"馃ズ馃ズ
Seeing a live worm come out from the anus is frightening, but it is a known medical occurrence and not a spiritual attack. The most common worm that does this is called Ascaris lumbricoides, also known as the giant roundworm.
Ascaris is one of the soil-transmitted helminths. It lives in the small intestine of humans. An adult female Ascaris can grow up to 30cm long and lays thousands of eggs every day, which are passed out in stool. In places where human waste contaminates soil, those eggs remain in the soil and become infective after some days.
You become infected when you swallow the infective eggs without knowing. This does not mean you ate soil directly. You can swallow the eggs if you touch contaminated soil with your hands and then put your hands in your mouth, if you eat fruits or vegetables that were not properly washed, if you drink water that is contaminated, or if children play barefoot in contaminated soil and then touch their mouth. This is why children are more affected than adults.
Once swallowed, the eggs hatch in the intestine into larvae. The larvae travel through the intestinal wall into the bloodstream, go to the lungs, are coughed up and swallowed again, and then grow into adult worms in the small intestine. When there are many worms, they compete for space and food. Because they are mobile, they can move around. During this movement, a live adult worm can be pushed out with stool and come out through the anus. In heavy infections, worms have also been known to come out through the mouth or nose. Seeing a worm alive does not mean medicine has failed, it is simply the worm being expelled from its habitat.
There is another worm that behaves differently, called Enterobius vermicularis or pinworm. Pinworm is much smaller. The female pinworm lives in the large intestine but comes out of the anus, usually at night, to lay her eggs on the skin around the anus. This causes intense itching at night, which is the classic symptom of pinworm infection. Children who scratch then carry the eggs under their fingernails and can reinfect themselves or others. So not every worm seen around the anus is Ascaris, some are pinworms.
Now about deworming. There is a lot of confusion about how often people should deworm. Deworming should not be done as a monthly routine for everyone. According to the World Health Organization, preventive deworming is recommended for at-risk groups like preschool children, school-age children, and women of reproductive age living in areas where soil-transmitted worm infections are common. Depending on how common the infection is in that community, treatment may be given once a year or twice a year. Someone with low exposure does not have the same need as a child who plays daily in contaminated soil. If you actually see a worm, do not just buy and take different deworming tablets randomly. See a healthcare professional, and if possible, keep the worm safely or take a clear photo of it to help with identification.
For women trying to conceive, it is important to note that seeing a roundworm does not mean the worm is the cause of infertility. While a heavy Ascaris infection can cause malnutrition, abdominal pain and other health problems, it is not a recognized common cause of infertility. Infertility needs proper medical evaluation and should not be blamed on a single worm seen in stool.
Prevention is better than repeated treatment. Wash hands with soap and water after using the toilet and before eating, wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly, drink safe water, wear footwear, keep nails short and clean, and ensure proper disposal of human waste.
If you or your child passes a live worm, stay calm and seek medical care promptly.
The first image is the real image from my gallery
The second image and third was take fro goggle.