Also do this

■ After the deworming, always clean your child’s underwear and bedding in hot water to get rid of the parasite eggs that may have been left behind. You might even spot some worms on the bedding – they look like little cotton threads.

■ Always clean and wash your fruits and vegetables. Do not eat fruits or vegetables that have bad spots or worms, even the parts that look clean.

■ Wear shoes when playing outdoors, especially in the garden.

■ Children should also not be defecating in the garden; rather use a potty or toilet to do so. Teach children also not to put soil in their mouth.

■ Everyone in the family should be treated for worms as a precautionary measure.

■ Wash your hands often, and scrub under the fingernails.

■ Be careful of swimming in lakes or rivers.

■ Regularly deworm your pets as well.

■ Do not eat raw meat, especially pork.

■ Wash your children’s hands and feet when they come inside after they’ve played barefoot outside.

■ Clip toe- and fingernails regularly, as worm eggs like to sit under the nails and then get spread when food is prepared. When children scratch their infected bums, they can also get those eggs under their fingernails and spread them to others.

■ Always wash your hands before preparing food and also after visiting the bathroom. Children should also be taught to wash their hands after going to the toilet, playing with soil in the garden and before eating or handling any food.

■ Lots of people recommend placing sticky tape on your child’s anus to try to “catch them”, says paediatrician Dr Paul Sinclair, but this is unnecessary. “If you suspect your child has worms, then it is important that you deworm him, and the rest of the family as a precaution, and after that every six months, until school-going age, when you can do it once a year.