Kill worms! (dead simple) Treatment Helpful tips to prevent re-infection Vermox ® kills worms • Treat the whole family at the same time. Treatment is simple. One tablet or one 5mL dose of liquid suspension, once only for each member of the family is all that’s needed. As the intestines, where the worms live can be 9 metres long, it may take up to 3 days for the medicine to work its way through. For more information ask your healthcare professional or freecall 1800 620 898 VER022 Vermox Consumer Leaflet v2.2 - FA HR.indd 1 • S ame dose for adults and children • O ne tablet once – quick, no fuss, simple • N o weighing or dosage calculations • May be used from 2 years of age Available from your pharmacy. Always read the label. Use only as directed. If symptoms persist, see your healthcare professional. Biotech Pharmaceuticals Pty Ltd ABN 91 009 701 517 83 Cherry Lane, Laverton North, VIC 3026 • P leasant tasting orange flavoured tablets or Banana flavoured liquid • S hower rather than take a bath for several days after treatment to wash any remaining eggs away from the anal region. • C hildren’s clothing and bed linen should be washed in hot water, which kills any eggs. • D o not shake or flick the bed clothes and linen when removing them for washing. • D isinfect common living areas such as bathrooms and showers. • E ncourage children to wash their hands with soap and water. • Keep fingernails short and clean. one tablet - once! for each family member no dosage calculations required Vermox ® kills worms 24/07/2009 9:44:38 AM Does your child have worms? Signs & Symptoms Sometimes no symptoms are present, however common symptoms include: • Itching around the bottom Worms are highly contagious and it is reassuring to know that it isn’t a reflection on the cleanliness of the home or family. School children are particularly likely to catch them because they often share things like food, pencils, books or toys. Any of these can carry tiny, almost invisible worm eggs. All it takes is for the child to put his or her fingers in the mouth or pick up contaminated items and the worm infection cycle begins. They can be and are usually passed from the child to the rest of the family. • T hreadworms visible on bowel motion or around anus • Restless sleep • Bed wetting • Grinding of teeth • Lack of appetite • Irritability What do they look like? Test for worms Threadworms are the only common worms that infect humans in Australia. They look like small short pieces of white cotton thread about 5-10mm in length. If you suspect threadworms: • Y ou can check for eggs in the morning by gently pressing sticky tape against the skin around the anus where eggs will stick to the tape and can be seen clearly. • L ook for signs of the worms on the surface of bowel motions. • U sing a torch, look for moving worms around the anus. This is best done at night about an hour after the child has gone to bed. If there are signs, treat with Vermox. With regular checks, you will know that treatment has been effective. Lifecycle of the threadworm Threadworms are highly contagious. They develop and breed in the human intestine where they grow to about 13mm. A single female threadworm can lay thousands of eggs over a 3 week life cycle. 1 Eggs are swallowed. 2 E ggs reach small intestine where they hatch. 3Larvae swim to large intestines and grow into worms (3 weeks). 4Female worms lay eggs in the anal opening and the cycle starts again. Can you catch worms from pets? Worms from pets cannot be directly transferred to humans. However it is possible for the common roundworm of dogs to infect humans indirectly if its eggs become infective by lying in soil for more than 3 weeks. Human infection can then occur if material containing pet excretion is swallowed. This can be a serious medical problem, as the larvae of this worm can invade human tissues such as liver, brain or eyes. A doctor should be consulted. Fortunately, this is a very rare condition in Australia. What about other worms? Rare worms such as whipworm, roundworm and hookworm are not a problem in Australia. If you suspect a rare worm infection, check with your doctor or pharmacist. If diagnosed with a rare worm infection, Vermox may be used for treatment as it is also formulated to kill whipworm, roundworm and hookworm as well as threadworm. Vermox VER022 Vermox Consumer Leaflet v2.2 - FA HR.indd 2 ® kills worms 24/07/2009 9:44:39 AM