How Long After Pinworm Treatment Are You Contagious (And Why)?

Exact Answer: After around 2-3 weeks

Normally infections and rashes spread by worms and insects are so subtle that people even fail to recognize them properly. Before treating them, they lose this much time that, when they start treating them, it becomes too late to be addressed. It is the same with the threadworm, which is most commonly also known as the pinworm. It is normally a parasitic worm, which is especially found in the human body. 

It is an intestinal parasite and this pinworm infection is precisely termed Oxyuriasis. It can keep infecting the patient until it gets treated seriously and with proper medical treatment. However, this infectious disease can spread its tentacles a way around for almost a couple of weeks.  

How Long After Pinworm Treatment Are You Contagious?

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With the new modern treatment available in the medical stream, one can easily get rid of this pinworm infection within a few days. However, the intense itching and the ratchets can make someone a little irritated but, after the treatment, one can easily feel better. They can cause a lot of pain in the stomach and can also whirl your stomach out and down. From the majority of the patients, it is normally a complaint that itching can make someone really frustrated. This infection always gets along with the treatment and may also fade away on its own. 

But it is to be noted that pinworms are easily treated without any fuss, with the intake of a two-dose medicine. This medicine is known as pyrantel pamoate and one can have easy access to this medicine in the states with the brand name Pin-X. It can be also available with the name Resse’s medicine. The dosage of this is normally directed by the physician, but it can also be taken like, intaking the first dose within an immediate time and the second and the last dose is taken after a couple of weeks of the first dose. 

The immediate action of the medicine may take like 60 to 72 hours to work out properly. But still, after the treatment also, the worms can easily pass out by the poo, from our guts. This is nothing that can be easily noticed, but it only can be avoided by some means. One must wash hands regularly after nature’s call and must remain clean during this time. 

Why Are You Contagious So Long After Pinworm Treatment?  

Although it is treated and medications are done, it is not necessary that this worm cannot become contagious. After the treatment also, the worms remain in our guts. They do not die suddenly and every time we poop, they float out through it. They are too tiny and are of small thread-like structures. With our naked eye, it is not that easy to recognize them. These small worms still stay inside the body for almost a week or so, after the treatment. To be precise the pinworms never remain in presence, but they lay down eggs when they are fully powerful. They leave their successors, and after the treatment also, these pinworm eggs get excreted through the feces.   

Hence, one must seriously keep himself or herself clean and wash his or her hands, especially the under-nail side thoroughly, and should take a warm shower daily. Well, as it is a contagious disease it can spread from one to many. This cycle continues to go on and on if it is not break in between. Hence, a full stop can be put in this cycle if you maintain some proper diagnosis. Before taking a step forward for the treatment and medications, a proper diagnosis is necessary. It is just because, with the medication, the adult worms can only succumb, but the larvae and the newborn and still developing eggs act upon after the medication also. 

Hence, it is really necessary to give proper treatment and proper care for the pinworm before it starts spreading itself through various means. And these are the reasons why it still spreads after the treatment also. 

Conclusion

Pinworms cause some serious diseases. It causes itching and other hard symptoms that make it a little hard to deal with. Especially in children this attacks at a severe rate and takes a high pitch on. But with the proper medication and following some immediate cautionary measures, one can easily take down this intestinal parasite.

It becomes a little more important because this also holds the capacity to spread after the treatment also. The larvae and the tiny eggs the worm leaves take a lot of toll on the human body. Hence, this should be treated carefully and no excuses should be tried during or for the treatment.    

Reference

1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6522669/
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1848787/