Can I send a child to school with threadworms?

[nelliesmum]

or is that being totally anti-social?

[Monty100]

Highly contagious I would have thought! I think you should keep them indoors until it's cleared.

[NatalieJane]

Of course you can - they probably came from school in the first place.

[nigglewiggle]

I would. But I'd take steps to ensure they wouldn't spread the blighters. Give them the tablet, cut fingernails, scrub hands and clean bums in the morning. Reiterate about washing hands after using the toilet.

As NJ says, they almost certainly got them from school, so I wouldn't keep them off.

[hellymelly]

I would keep my child at home for a couple of days after taking the tablets.they spread horribly and so it is rather unkind to keep adding to the pool,even though your child will have picked them up there to start with,you would only be increasing the chance of them getting re-infected in a couple of weeks time.Surely you wouldn't send them to school with a head full of lice? so worms are the same in my book.

[Leslaki]

No thanks. I work in year 1 and you can tell them to wash their hands but they don't or not very well. Keep them off. I don't want them!!!

[mamas12]

You need to look up the guidelines at the school.
There will be a policy, I kept mine home for a couple of days I think, can't quite remember and then had to inform the teachers.

[Monty100]

Even if they did pick it up in school you'd be adding to the vicious circle by sending them in and then even when they do clear up they'll pick it up again. So if everyone behaved responsibly and kept dcs with threadworm at home, the problem would be resolved. There's no point in justifying sending dcs into school with threadworm just because that's where they picked it up. Even if it is where they picked it up, and it's not necessarily so that they did.

So, I still don't think you should send children to school to spread threadworm.

[nigglewiggle]

But, it doesn't actually make anyone ill. I know it is a bit awful to think about, but in reality it doesn't cause anyone any problems other than making their bottom itch!

[TheNextMrsDepp]

It never occurred to me to keep them home, it's such a minor thing. We all get them (me included!) a couple of times a year, take the tablets and they're gone.

I very much doubt they pick them up at school - more likely from getting grubby in the garden.

Apparently an enormous percentage of children have worms at any one time. Most of them don't even realise.

[Clary]

Surely if all the DC with lice or worms were kept off at any one time there would be no-one in school? (maybe that's the idea!)

I have read that worms are endemic in primary and basically a quarter of the class will have them at any time.

I never heard of anyone keeping a child off for headlice

[Monty100]

My dc's school would insist they were kept off if they had headlice (and they did a couple of times). So the school would just have the odd epedemic (if that's the right word).

My dc's have never had threadworm that I know of. One has had empitigo though! He was kept off.

If you don't keep them off it just goes round and round. That's why you should keep them off.

They are quite unpleasant ailments and need to be stopped.

[Seona1973]

the health protection agency says you can send them to school with threadworms (although I would give them meds for them first).

From the NHS website:

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) advises that children should still go to school if they have a threadworm infection. Schools and nurseries should have advice to follow regarding good hygiene practices. This will help limit the spread of infection and will include measures such as:

?cleaning toys and equipment,
?encouraging children to wash their hands regularly, and
?using dedicated laundry facilities

[Seona1973]

p.s it also says this about headlice:

There is no need for children with head lice to stay off school. They will probably have had the infestation for several weeks, so keeping them away from school is unlikely to affect transmission

[PuppyMonkey]

DD1 had them years ago, never even occurred to me to keep her off school - she took the tablet and it seemd to work straight away.

OTOH, if it's a nice day have a skive why not? What will she miss? Algebra?

[nowwearefour]

our schoool sent out a letter on this last week. it says that providing you follow all the hygiene tips and all the family is being treated you should not keep them off.

[Ronaldinhio]

is it for show and tell?

[isthatporridgeinyourhair]

Loving the show and tell - it would be popular with DS. His two favourite things - bottoms and creepy crawlies.

[Tortoise]

When DD1 had thread worms the school said as long as they have been treated she can go to school.
DD's have both had them quite a few times. DS's have never had them, that i know of!