Dear doctor;

I would like to de-worm, what medicines do I use besides mebendazole?

Desire, 26, Kigali.

Dear Desire,

It is a popular myth to deworm regularly for good health. But that is really not applicable always. There are many worm infestations. These mostly enter the body through consuming contaminated food and or water, through bad food hygiene. The raw food may not have been cleaned well before cooking, it may be uncooked while being eaten, the person preparing, serving or eating food may do so with dirty hands. Some worms like hook worm can enter body through the sole when walking bare foot.

These infestations are easily avoided by maintaining good food hygiene.

Once a person has worms, they may experience nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, bloating, among other symptoms. Worms, when present in the body, tend to migrate to other parts, causing systemic problems like bronchitis, pneumonia, intestinal infection, among others. They are also a cause for malnutrition..The diagnosis is easily confirmed by a simple stool examination that may show eggs or cysts (encapsulated stage) of the worms.

There are several drugs apart from mebendazole for deworming, like albendazole, niridazole, praziquantel, among others, which eradicate worms by different mechanisms. But they have no protective function, that is, they would clear the worms present, but do not prevent entry and multiplication of worms in future. Hence, there is no use of taking them without proof of worm infestation. A good hygiene regarding food can ensure that worms do not enter body. Children are given these drugs to clear infection present, because it is common among them for multiple reasons.