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What are intestinal worms?
Causes of worms and how they are transmitted
How worms are transmitted
Signs and symptoms of worms
Healthy tips to prevent worms
Treatment of worms

A Downloadable PDF is available below the brochure

What are intestinal worms?

Worms are parasites that live in our bodies and they feed on our nutrients from the food we eat.
They feed on your blood and can cause your body to not absorb the nutrients from the food you eat.^8,9
Worms are very common in both children (1:2 children) and adults (1:5 adults).^27,28

Causes of worms and how they are transmitted

Worms can live in humans, animals or in the soil for a period of time, and is constantly transmitted between these hosts. Animal hosts could be dogs, cats, cows, pigs or fish.

How worms are transmitted

Signs and symptoms of worms

You may NOT have any symptoms but here are some common ones you could experience:^9,26

Being tired, weak, listless and irritable
Loss of appetite, not feeling hungry
Diarrhoea, runny tummy
Nausea, vomiting
Stomach pain
Itching around the anus, vagina, bum or feet
Rash on the feet, bum or waist
Coughing up blood-stained fluids
Waking at night because of the itch

Healthy tips to prevent worms

Treatment of worms

Its is very important to initially deworm the whole family and even pets to ensure all worms are destroyed with a multi dose of medicines, twice a day for 3 days
Thereafter you can deworm the whole family twice a year with just a single dose
Make sure the medicine is safe for children from 1 year of age

As people infected with worms may show no signs or symptoms, you may be unaware that a member of your family could be infected. ^2C It is therefore advisable to start your family’s deworming plan with 3-day dosing treatment, as that provides better cure rates for a number of worms. ^8C

Another reason for using a 3-day dosing option is that under-dosing someone with a worm infestation could lead to the worm developing resistance to the medication. ^{8D, E}

Vermox® – for freedom from worms

Vermox® is the No.1 doctor recommended deworming solution for all members of the family from 1 year old, in tablet or suspension format.¹¹ Vermox® contains mebendazole, an ingredient that stops the worm from absorbing nutrients and ultimately causes the worm to die and disintegrate or dissolve.
Vermox® 3-day treatment options have been proven to kill up to 9 different types of worms, even if more than one type of worm may be present.
Vermox® 500 mg tablet is a 1-day (or single-dose) treatment option, containing 500 mg of mebendazole, recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as a treatment of choice for regular deworming, to keep your family worm-free. ^12A

Speak to your healthcare professional today about the benefits of regular deworming with Vermox®, mark your calendar today and claim your freedom from worms for your family.

S1 VERMOX® Suspension. Each 5 ml suspension contains 100 mg Mebendazole Polymorph C. Reg. No. K/12/206

S1 VERMOX® 100 mg tablets. Each tablet contains 100 mg Mebendazole Polymorph C. Reg. No. G/12/105.

S1 VERMOX® 500 mg tablets. Each tablet contains 500 mg Mebendazole Polymorph C. Reg. No. W/12/42.

For full prescribing information refer to the Professional Information approved by the medicines regulatory authority.

Please note: this is an education information leaflet only and should not be used for diagnosis. For more information on Worms, consult your healthcare professional.

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4. Lloyd AE, Honey BL, John BM, Condren M. Treatment Options and Considerations for Intestinal Helminthic Infections. Journal of Pharmacy Technology. 2014(30)4:130–139.

5. Adams VJ, Markus MB, Adams JFA, et al. Paradoxical helminthiasis and giardiasis in Cape Town, South Africa: epidemiology and control. African Health Sciences 2005;5(2): 131-136.

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10. Standard Treatment Guidelines and Essential Medicines List for South Africa – Primary Healthcare Level, 2020 Edition. Available from http://www.health.gov.za. Accessed 2022/03/07.

11. Vermox HCP Claims Study. Study completed for Johnson & Johnson (PTY) LTD. Prepared by IPSOS, December 2021.

12. Deworming. World Health Organisation (WHO). Accessed 2020/04/20. Available at https://www.who.int/elena/titles/full_recommendations/deworming/en/.

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