Previously, Vietnam only recorded patients with parasitic tapeworms in the eyes, but recently, cases of tapeworms entering the lungs and abdominal wall have been recorded. without clear cause.
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Frog meat should be thoroughly cooked before eating. Photo: Saphia Thu
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Open your heart parasites
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Disease Tapeworm larvae are common in Asia and some European countries that import frog, snake, and bird meat… Tapeworms often cause disease in humans in the larval stage. The worm-shaped larvae are called Sparganum and the disease caused is called Sparganose.
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Fake flukes lay eggs underwater and the eggs are eaten by plankton crustaceans that are the first secondary hosts of the flukes. These crustacean mayflies are then eaten by snake frogs or birds – which become secondary hosts. When parasitic in the secondary host, the larvae are in the form of worms (plerocercoid), several centimeters long, ivory white, unsegmented, without a head (scolex), with only a false cup in front. Humans can become secondary hosts in cases of drinking unboiled water containing infected plankton; eating frogs, snakes, birds… raw or undercooked meat; From here, tapeworm larvae break into the digestive tract, burrow into the gastrointestinal wall and form tumors there. In addition, in rural areas, people still believe that pink eye is caused by “hot flashes.” Using raw frog meat as a cool substance to apply to the eyes to “cool down the fever” creates favorable conditions for tapeworm larvae to enter. Eye skin causes tumors in the patient’s eyes and can cause blindness. Some other less common cases are infection with tapeworm larvae due to washing your face with water containing crustacean plankton infected with larvae.
When humans are the second secondary hosts of tapeworm larvae, disease symptoms will depend on where the larvae are in the form of parasitic worms. born. If the parasite is in the eye, it will cause pain, lots of tears, inflammation and swelling of the eyelid junction… If the parasite is in the skin, it will cause itching, rash, and infiltration. Sometimes the patient feels like the larvae are moving. In some cases, worm-like tapeworm larvae have been detected in the membranes of the intestines, kidneys, bladder, lungs, chest cavity, heart, and brain tissue. When tapeworm larvae penetrate deep into the internal organs, the disease will be very severe.
Remember not to “eat it alive”
Clinically, the most certain way to determine the disease is to surgically detect and remove the larvae. . Treatment of the disease is also with surgery to remove the larvae. If surgery is not possible, use novarsenol 0 3 – 0 4g/kg body weight/day for 4 – 5 days. The drugs praziquantel and mebendazole are not effective in killing parasite larvae.
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To prevent the disease, it is necessary to propagate and encourage people not to drink unboiled water and not to eat meat of frogs, frogs, snakes, birds… that has not been thoroughly cooked. Rural areas need to abandon the practice of applying raw frog meat to the eyes to treat pink eye. In addition, only use hygienic water sources in daily activities. When entering a restaurant, be careful when ordering food made from frog, snake, bird meat… do not eat if it is not thoroughly cooked.
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According to Doctor Nguyen Vo Hinh
Central Institute of SR-KST-CT Quy Nhon
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