When to deworm a child: the age to start and how often

Why worms matter

Roundworm, whipworm and hookworm spread through soil contaminated with human faeces, and children pick up the eggs when they play and then put their hands in their mouths. The worms feed on blood and tissue and reduce appetite and the absorption of food, and the WHO describes infected children as nutritionally and physically impaired. Deworming reduces the number of worms; handwashing, clean water, wearing shoes and safe toilets stop them coming back.

The WHO advice, in plain terms

• Children aged 12 to 23 months, 1 to 4 years, and 5 to 12 years (up to 14 in some places)
• Once a year where at least one child in five has worms
• Twice a year where more than half have worms
• No individual test needed first in those places: the whole age group is treated
• Can be given on child health days, alongside vitamin A, or through schools

When a child needs a doctor, not just a deworming tablet

Routine deworming is prevention. See a doctor if your child has:

• Poor weight gain, or is not growing as expected
• Pale skin, tiredness or breathlessness, which can mean anaemia
• Diarrhoea that lasts more than a few days, or blood in the stool
• A swollen tummy with pain or vomiting
• Worms seen in the stool or around the bottom despite deworming

Go to a hospital now

Go to an emergency department if your child:

• Has severe tummy pain, a swollen hard tummy, and is vomiting, especially green vomit
• Is passing blood in large amounts
• Has a fit, or is very drowsy, floppy or hard to wake
• Is struggling to breathe, breathing very fast, grunting, or the chest sucks in under the ribs
• Has blue, grey, pale or blotchy skin, lips or tongue (on dark skin, check the palms and soles)
• Has a rash that does not fade when you press a glass against it
• Cannot drink or breastfeed, or vomits everything

Common questions