For a child diagnosed with the most common childhood helminthic disease in the United States, what intervention should a nurse anticipate?

The most prevalent helminthic infection in children in the United States is caused by pinworms, an infection known as enterobiasis. The standard treatment for pinworm infections involves the use of an anthelmintic agent such as mebendazole.

In the case of a child diagnosed with pinworms, a three-day course of mebendazole is the recommended intervention. Mebendazole works by inhibiting the helminth's ability to absorb glucose, thus leading to its eventual death. Treatment is typically administered in two doses, given 2 weeks apart, to prevent reinfection, but the critical point is that a short course like this is effective in clearing the infection.

Other options, like ivermectin, are not the first-line treatment for pinworms and are more commonly used for other types of parasitic infections. Monthly visits to a specialist are not necessary for a straightforward case of enterobiasis, nor is immediate hospitalization required for the management of this type of helminthic disease. In fact, enterobiasis is generally managed in an outpatient setting. Therefore, the three-day course of mebendazole is appropriate and effective for this condition.