Deworming for Humans: Why It’s Important

Most people think of deworming worms and parasites as related to either household pets or farm animals. Yet, humans are equally vulnerable to worms and parasites. More often than not, people are unaware of the global prevalence of intestinal worm infections. There are many people with intestinal worms that are seemingly in perfect health.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that over 1.5 billion people are intestinal worm infected worldwide. There is even more shocking data with worm carrier statistics published in the Journal of Parasitic Diseases. It suggests that as high as 30% of adults live with intestinal worms that present with no or very minimal symptoms. There is a world of health problems that could easily be maintained with simple and often ignored human deworming services.

What is Human Deworming?

Like their animals, humans can deworm to treat parasitic worm infections.

• Roundworms
• Tapeworms
• Hookworms
• Whipworms

By and large, these infections are contracted by people in one of several different ways, including, but not limited to:

• poor eating and drinking habits,
• control or dirty bugs,
• poor or no personal care or cleanliness (e.g., no hand washing),
• contact with fish or water that contain parasites.

Deworming is considered necessary primarily for children. This contingent of the population that these services are needed the most is those individuals who spend a lot of time travelling, conducting agricultural activities, public health activities, and who live in settings that are not safe to the public in the case of critical health needs.

Why Is Deworming Important?

Besides infecting a person with parasites or viruses, parasitic worms can stay in the host’s body and affect a person’s health for a number of years. Eventually, parasitic worms can lead to life sucking, health debilitating deficiencies such as the following:

• Nutrient deficiencies
• Chronic fatigue
• Digestive problems
• Unexplained weight loss
• Weak immune function
• Iron-deficiency anemia

Further, iron deficiency anemia increases from parasites. A study published in The Lancet stated that iron deficiency anemia is improved by deworming these individuals. The study of deworming stated that the most common practice is poor. It is primarily a public stance to achieve better health outcomes that need to be advocated for, and population risk factors.

parasites can even migrate to organs like the lungs or liver in the most advanced stages. That is why we recommend early intervention. The benefits of deworming are not immediate, as they are long-lasting.

Who Should Get Dewormed?

Deworming is not only necessary when symptoms are fully manifest. Healthy adults can still potentially be dewormed. Adults can be dewormed under these conditions:

• Traveling to tropical or subtropical areas
• Consuming undercooked meat or unwashed produce
• Soil and other agriculture employment
• Living with infected pets
• Living in unsanitary environments

A routine deworming schedule can significantly impact adult health.

Signs of a Worm Infection

Infections can occur that either result in obvious or hidden symptoms. The obvious symptoms include the following:

• Abdominal symptoms (pain or bloating)
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Fatigue
• Weight change (loss)
• Dermatological symptoms ( rashes)
• Anemia or itch
• An itching sense (especially for pinworms) (around the anus) a Over consumption of fatigue

Consulting with a healthcare professional is of the utmost importance in helping to assess, and address these symptoms.

When Should You Deworm?

The guidelines for deworming cannot be generalized, except for those who are in high-risk areas:

• High-risk areas: every 6–12 months
• Following travel to high incidence of parasitic infection areas
• Every year for pet-owners
• At any point following symptom development

Deworming guidance becomes imperative for areas where reinfection is a guaranteed occurrence. Reinfection is guaranteed even in symptom-free states, thus deworming and reinfection prevention.

Best Medications for Deworming

Common and safe medications for optimal deworming include:

• Albendazole – Addressing root, hook, and whip worms
• Mebendazole – Common especially for pin- and round- worms
• Ivermectin – Best for infected parasites like Strongylitis.
• Praziquantel – For tapeworms and flukes

Several of these medications offer easy, single-dosage treatment. These medications may be available for purchase over-the-counter in different countries. For others, it’s a rare instance where a healthcare provider should be consulted for over-the-counter medication.

Natural Remedies v. Medical Deworming

Natural remedies have much less reliable results as compared to medications to remove parasites.

The answer for the safety and the effectiveness of the highest quality deworming treatment will be medications. Reinfection, however, may be a decreased occurrence in regards to the maintenance of a healthy diet and immune system.

Preventing Worm Infections

You may not think of prevention and treatment as being related, but in regards to worm infections, they are. There are things you can do to help prevent infections. Here are some of them:

• Frequent hand washing
• Cooking meat all the way through
• Cleaning and scrubbing fruits and veggies
• Using clean and filtered water
• Keeping shoes on outside in the country
• Having personal care
• Keeping pets dewormed

You can do all of these to help prevent parasite worm infections. Deworming at certain times while taking measures at other times is best.

Final Thoughts

Deworming can seem like a big thing, but there are a lot of things that come with it. If you think that you or someone you love may have a worm parasite, consider getting deworming quick. It is a major health concern that effects over a billion people in the world. If you aren’t concerned about it right now and you haven’t considered it, now is the time you should get a doctor involved. In the long run, it will help more than it will harm.