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Threadworms: online GP treatment for kids and adults, bulk billed

Threadworms are the most common worm infection in Australia and spread quickly through households. Bulk billed with no out-of-pocket costs if you're Medicare eligible: a NewDoc GP can confirm what you're dealing with, advise on treating the whole household, and help when it's a child under two, pregnancy, or worms that keep coming back.

Do I need to see a GP for threadworms?

Often not: threadworms are common, harmless in most people, and treated with a single dose of over-the-counter worming treatment for every household member on the same day, repeated after two weeks, alongside hot-washed bedding, short fingernails, morning showers, and thorough handwashing.

See an AHPRA-registered GP by video or phone if the child is under two, you are pregnant or breastfeeding, the worms keep coming back despite proper treatment, or you are not sure worms are actually the problem. A NewDoc GP can confirm the diagnosis by history, advise on treatment for the tricky cases, prescribe where appropriate, and check for other causes of an itchy bottom. Consults are bulk billed for eligible Medicare cardholders.

Quick answer: how to get rid of threadworms

Threadworms are the most common worm infection in Australia and are treated with a single dose of over-the-counter worming treatment taken by every household member on the same day, repeated after two weeks. Hygiene does the rest: hot-wash bedding, pyjamas and towels, keep fingernails short, shower in the morning to remove overnight eggs, and wash hands well before eating, because eggs survive around two weeks on surfaces and reinfection is the usual reason worms come back. See a GP for children under two, in pregnancy or breastfeeding, for recurrent infestations, or when the diagnosis is unclear. The telehealth consult is $0 out-of-pocket, bulk billed, for eligible Medicare cardholders, median 5.0 hours booking-to-consult per NewDoc April 2026 utilisation data.

What are threadworms?

Threadworms (also called pinworms) are tiny white worms, Enterobius vermicularis, that live in the bowel. They look like short threads of white cotton, about the length of a staple, and they are extremely common: the Better Health Channel describes pinworm as the most common worm infection in Australia. Primary-school-age children are the main hosts, and the worms spread readily to siblings, parents, and anyone else sharing the household.

The life cycle explains almost everything about managing them. At night, female worms crawl out of the bowel and lay thousands of microscopic eggs on the skin around the anus, which itches. The child scratches, eggs collect under the fingernails, and from there they spread to hands, mouths, toys, towels, bedding, and door handles. Swallowed eggs hatch in the gut and the cycle restarts. Eggs can survive for around two weeks on surfaces, per Healthdirect Australia, which is why treatment always pairs medicine with hygiene. Catching threadworms says nothing about how clean your home is.

Symptoms of threadworms

The classic picture is:

  • An itchy bottom, distinctly worse at night when the worms lay their eggs
  • Disturbed sleep, and an irritable or overtired child during the day
  • Tiny white worms visible around the anus at night, or on the surface of the stool
  • Redness and scratch marks around the bottom
  • In girls, itching or irritation around the vulva, as worms can wander forward
  • Sometimes reduced appetite or a vaguely unsettled tummy

Many infected people, especially adults, have no symptoms at all, which is how threadworms quietly circulate through a household. That is also why the whole household is treated together rather than just the itchy child.

How to check for threadworms

Diagnosis is usually visual, and you can do the checking at home. An hour or two after your child falls asleep, part the buttocks gently and shine a torch on the skin around the anus: threadworms show up as small white threads that may be moving. Checking the surface of the stool is another option. Your GP may also suggest a sticky-tape test: first thing in the morning, before wiping or bathing, press a piece of clear sticky tape briefly against the skin around the anus; eggs stick to the tape and can be identified under a microscope. A telehealth GP can make the diagnosis from a good history, talk you through the torch check, and tell you whether the pattern fits threadworms or points to something else.

When to see a doctor about worms

Threadworms themselves are not dangerous. They disturb sleep and drive everyone mildly mad, but they do not usually cause serious illness. The reasons to involve a doctor are the situations where treatment needs medical judgement, and the symptoms that worms do not explain.

See a GP promptly, in person or by telehealth, if any of the following apply:

  • Significant or persistent abdominal pain
  • Unexplained weight loss
  • Blood in the stool
  • Fever or feeling generally unwell alongside gut symptoms
  • Symptoms that continue despite proper treatment of the whole household

None of these are typical of threadworms, and they need assessment rather than another round of worming treatment. For severe abdominal pain, or a child who is drowsy or seriously unwell, call 000 or go to an emergency department (check live ED wait times) rather than waiting for a GP appointment.

How a telehealth GP can help with threadworms

Most threadworm infections can be sorted at the pharmacy, and NewDoc's AHPRA-registered GPs will happily tell you so when that is the right answer. The consult earns its place in the cases where over-the-counter treatment is not straightforward:

  • Children under two. Standard worming treatments are generally recommended from age two, so younger children need a GP's advice on whether and how to treat.
  • Pregnancy and breastfeeding. Treatment choice and timing need individual medical advice; sometimes hygiene measures alone are recommended for a period.
  • Worms that keep coming back. If reinfection continues despite treating the whole household properly, the GP can go through the treatment and hygiene steps, confirm the diagnosis, and plan what to do differently.
  • An uncertain diagnosis. Night-time itch has other causes. In adults, vulval itching may be thrush rather than worms, and skin conditions, hygiene factors, and other infections can all mimic threadworms. The GP can sort out which it is and treat accordingly.
  • Persistent symptoms. Itch or gut symptoms that continue after proper treatment deserve review rather than repeated worming.

During a video or phone consult, the GP can confirm the diagnosis by history, advise on treating the household, send an eScript where a prescription treatment is appropriate, and issue a carer's certificate if your child is unwell enough to need you at home with them.

For eligible Medicare cardholders, the consultation is bulk billed with no out-of-pocket cost. Worming treatments themselves are purchased at the pharmacy.

Treating threadworms: whole household, same day

Treatment is straightforward, and doing it properly once beats doing it casually three times:

  • Treat everyone in the household on the same day, including adults and children with no symptoms. Over-the-counter worming treatments from any pharmacy contain mebendazole or pyrantel as the active ingredient; the pharmacist can advise which suits each family member's age and circumstances.
  • Repeat the dose after two weeks. The medicine kills worms but not eggs, so a second dose catches the worms that hatch from eggs swallowed around the first dose.
  • Check the exceptions first: children under two, pregnancy, and breastfeeding need medical advice before treatment, per the Royal Children's Hospital.

The hygiene half of treatment is not optional; without it, reinfection is likely:

  • Hot-wash bedding, pyjamas, towels, and soft toys on treatment day
  • Shower each morning to wash away eggs laid overnight, washing around the anus
  • Keep fingernails short and clean, and discourage nail-biting and thumb-sucking
  • Wash hands thoroughly after the toilet and before eating or preparing food
  • Have children wear snug underpants or pyjama pants to bed to limit scratching
  • Wipe down the toilet seat regularly, and avoid shaking bedding (it spreads eggs)

The worms die within a few days of treatment and the itch settles soon after. Children do not need to be kept home from school or childcare for threadworms; just treat, wash, and carry on.

Preventing threadworms coming back

Reinfection, not failed treatment, is the usual reason threadworms return. Eggs survive around two weeks on surfaces, and school and childcare keep reintroducing them, so prevention is about breaking the hand-to-mouth chain:

  • Make handwashing before meals and after the toilet a household habit
  • Keep everyone's fingernails short
  • Stick with morning showers during and after an infection
  • Wash bedding and towels regularly, and do not share towels during an episode
  • Treat the whole household together, every time worms reappear

If you have followed all of this and the worms still will not quit, or you are second-guessing whether worms are the problem at all, a bulk billed telehealth appointment with an AHPRA-registered GP can sort out the diagnosis and the plan, at no out-of-pocket cost for eligible Medicare cardholders.

References

This content is informational and does not replace individual medical advice. For personal assessment, book a consultation with your GP. In emergencies, call 000.

Reviewed by Dr. Jason Yu FRACGP

Last reviewed 1 August 2026. Editorial policy

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Frequently asked questions

How do you catch threadworms?

Threadworm eggs are swallowed. An infected person scratches their bottom at night, eggs lodge under the fingernails, and from there they spread to hands, surfaces, toys, towels, and bedding, where they can survive for around two weeks. Anyone who touches those surfaces and then puts their fingers near their mouth can swallow eggs and become infected. This is why threadworms move so easily through households, schools, and childcare, and why they are not a sign of a dirty home.

How do I check my child for threadworms?

Check the skin around your child's anus with a torch at night, an hour or two after they fall asleep, when the female worms come out to lay eggs. Threadworms look like tiny white threads of cotton about the length of a staple. You may also see them on the surface of the stool. A sticky-tape test done first thing in the morning, pressing clear tape briefly against the skin and checking it for eggs, is another option your GP may suggest. Intense night-time itching alone is often enough to make the diagnosis likely.

Can adults get threadworms?

Yes. Threadworms are most common in primary-school-age children, but they spread readily to the adults in the household through shared bedding, towels, and surfaces. Adults often have milder or no symptoms, which is one reason treating the whole household at the same time matters: an untreated adult can quietly reinfect everyone else.

Do I need to treat the whole family for threadworms?

Yes. Australian health advice is to treat every household member on the same day, even those with no symptoms, because eggs spread through the home and untreated family members commonly reinfect the person who was treated. The dose is usually repeated after two weeks to catch worms that hatched from eggs swallowed after the first dose.

Why do threadworms keep coming back?

Usually because eggs are still in the environment or a household member was missed. Worming treatments kill worms but not eggs, so a repeat dose after two weeks is standard, and hygiene measures carry the rest of the load: hot-wash bedding, pyjamas and towels, keep fingernails short, shower in the morning to remove overnight eggs, and wash hands well before eating. If reinfection continues despite doing all of this properly, see a GP to confirm the diagnosis and plan next steps.

Are threadworms dangerous?

No. Threadworms are disruptive rather than dangerous: the main problems are itching, broken sleep, and irritability. They do not usually cause serious illness in otherwise healthy people. Symptoms such as significant abdominal pain, weight loss, or blood in the stool are not typical of threadworms and should be assessed by a doctor rather than put down to worms.

Can I treat threadworms while pregnant or breastfeeding?

Get medical advice first. The choice and timing of worming treatment in pregnancy and breastfeeding needs individual assessment, and hygiene measures alone are sometimes recommended for a period instead of medicine. A telehealth GP can advise what is appropriate for your stage of pregnancy or feeding, and prescribe where suitable.

Can babies and toddlers under 2 take worming treatment?

Not without medical advice. Standard over-the-counter worming treatments are generally recommended for ages two and over, so suspected threadworms in a baby or toddler under two should be discussed with a GP first. The GP can confirm whether worms are actually the problem and advise on safe treatment and hygiene measures for the little one and the rest of the household.

Can my pets give my family threadworms?

No. The threadworm that infects humans (Enterobius vermicularis) only lives in people, and Australian health authorities are clear that pets cannot catch it or pass it on. Reinfection comes from eggs on hands, bedding, and surfaces, not from the dog or cat. Pets have their own worms and their own worming schedule, but they are a separate issue from human threadworms.

How quickly does threadworm treatment work?

Worming treatment kills the adult worms within a few days, and the itching usually settles soon after. Because the treatment does not kill eggs, a second dose two weeks later is usually recommended, and hygiene measures need to continue over that period so that surviving eggs are not swallowed and the cycle does not restart. If symptoms persist beyond a couple of weeks after proper treatment of the whole household, see a GP.

Is the threadworm consultation bulk billed?

Yes. NewDoc bulk bills telehealth consultations for eligible Medicare cardholders, so there is no out-of-pocket cost for the GP appointment. Any eScript or carer's certificate issued during the consultation is included at no extra charge. Worming treatments themselves are purchased at the pharmacy, and many are available over the counter.

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