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Head Lice – Help!!!

Every parent’s heart sinks when they receive the dreaded note from school warning about head lice. Don’t worry – Jane Brennan from Brennan’s Life Pharmacy in Donabate is here to to give us advice and tips. The first thing to do is to check the child’s head. You will need some tea tree conditioner, a... Read more >

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Are You SunSmart?

We ask Jane Brennan from Brennan’s Life Pharmacy Donabate how to make the most of great sunny summer days whilst protecting our skin from harmful rays. Jane says “The Irish Cancer Society SunSmart program has great guidelines to keep us safe. See below for some useful tips and advice” Ways to protect your skin: Shade... Read more >

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Pollen Highs & Watery Eyes

Pollen Highs & Watery Eyes… Talk to Jane Brennan, your Hay Fever Expert in Donabate Are your eyes itchy, red or watery? Is your throat scratchy? Are you sneezing? Do you have itchy ears, nose or mouth? Do you have a blocked or runny nose? Do you wake up feeling exhausted? Hay fever can cause... Read more >

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Life Pharmacy Ireland – Live Better

Bringing you the best health advice for your family

NHS Choices - Causes of a roundworm infection

(02/04/2015)

A roundworm infection begins when you swallow roundworm eggs.

Eggs can be present in food or drink, or in the soil in which food has grown.

Eating food grown in contaminated soil can expose you to infection. You may also become infected if you touch contaminated soil with your hands and then eat without first washing them.

Contaminated soil or stools can also contaminate the water, making it possible to develop a roundworm infection by drinking contaminated water. 

How a roundworm infection progresses

When roundworm eggs are swallowed, they move into the first section of the small intestine, known as the duodenum.

After one to two weeks, the eggs will hatch into larvae and move through the wall of your intestine into your bloodstream, where they reach your lungs. The larvae will pass from your lungs into your throat, where they're swallowed. As the larvae are very small, you'll be unaware of this process.

After they're swallowed, the larvae will end up in the main part of your small intestine, where they'll mature into adult worms. Adult worms can live for up to two years.

Female worms can lay up to 200,000 eggs a day. The eggs are released in your stools (faeces). It takes 60 to 70 days from the initial ingestion of eggs to the production of new ones.

Environmental risk factors

Roundworm infections are most common in parts of the world where:

  • access to sanitation is either limited or non-existent
  • there's overcrowding
  • there are high levels of poverty
  • there's a high population of children under five years of age
  • human faeces are commonly used as fertiliser (known as "night soil")
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