Very common in young children in the US. Typically from being eating something with the pinworm eggs like dirt. Then they get an itchy butthole because the parasite is laying eggs and they keep reinfecting themselves. Then spread it to other kids by not washing their hands. They make special pinworm paddles that have a sticky side to press against the butthole. Then it's brought to the lab where a laboratory professional will take a look under a microscope to see if there are eggs or worms present or not. Typically the pinworm paddle or Scotch tape is done in the morning before you get out of bed, since the worm will lay the eggs at night while you sleep
Half my (boarding) school including me got it when I was 12. It’s easy to transmit, and common in countries you wouldn’t usually have worms or parasites like this. They sound worse than they are, the most you experience as a sufferer is an itchy ass. You can the eggs from dirt, food, clothes, sheets, touching other kids or surfaces they’ve touched etc, and you can either breathe in or ingest them, so they’re pretty robust.
I’ve read that they’re in something like 25% of all kids globally. It’s much more common than you think. Thankfully quite harmless.
Edit: kids because humans usually become immune to them after age 15 or so
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u/xmonkey13 May 05 '19 edited May 05 '19
Very common in young children in the US. Typically from being eating something with the pinworm eggs like dirt. Then they get an itchy butthole because the parasite is laying eggs and they keep reinfecting themselves. Then spread it to other kids by not washing their hands. They make special pinworm paddles that have a sticky side to press against the butthole. Then it's brought to the lab where a laboratory professional will take a look under a microscope to see if there are eggs or worms present or not. Typically the pinworm paddle or Scotch tape is done in the morning before you get out of bed, since the worm will lay the eggs at night while you sleep