How Do You Get Worms? Main Causes, Signs and Treatment

Few things unsettle a household quiet like a child who can’t stop scratching their bottom at bedtime, and if you’ve ever woken up to that frantic squirm, you’ve probably asked yourself — how do you get worms in the first place? The answer, according to NHS guidance, is almost always the same: microscopic eggs that travel from someone’s anus to your mouth via hands, surfaces, food, or bedding.

Children with threadworms at any one time: up to 50% ·
Common transmission route: ingesting microscopic eggs from contaminated surfaces or food ·
Egg survival on surfaces: up to 2 weeks at room temperature ·
Treatment success with single dose: over 90%

Five key facts about worm infections at a glance — what causes them, how they enter the body, and what standard treatment looks like.

What is the main cause of worms?

How threadworm eggs spread from person to person

• Female pinworms leave the intestine at night and deposit eggs on the skin around the anus — typically 10,000 to 15,000 eggs per worm, according to CDC (U.S. public health agency).
• Those eggs become capable of infecting other people within 2 to 3 hours of being laid (CDC).
• When the infected person scratches the itchy area, eggs get trapped under fingernails. From there they transfer to shared objects — towels, toys, toilet seats, door handles, bedding (NHS (UK health service)).
• Another person touches that surface, picks up eggs on their fingers, then touches their mouth. That’s the full cycle: an