Many of us, after a summer vacation, think about the existence of worms (worms).
Some people believe that it is necessary to get rid of them at all costs, while others, on the contrary, believe that these parasites are even very useful to the body. Who will tell us the truth?
Of course, many of you are familiar with the famous Dr. House. In one of the series, a teacher fell ill in class. The kids were scared and the doctors didn't know what happened to her because her condition was so serious. Every doctor promotes his theory. Some believe the patient has a tumor, others believe she has inflammation of the blood vessels in the brain. The drama's protagonist, Dr. House himself, solved the problem by finding the culprit who made the teacher suffer. It is tapeworms that afflict women. The teacher then gave her a course of pills and she recovered.
While the series may seem like a fantasy, the script for this series is made by real professionals. Real-life cases of worm infestations also resemble myths, but sadly, the consequences are not always correctable, as was the case with this series. How do we know if we are infected? Are we in danger?
About Worm Prevention
When people hear about all kinds of amazing remedies to get rid of these parasites, they forget everything just to get rid of them.
We've developed such a strong distaste for these animals that even when we think about them, it gets bad. We're ready to test ourselves with the most "abnormal" drugs, drink all sorts of questionable herbs, and even do garlic enemas.
It is very important not to overuse any medication and to stop promptly. In the case of parasitic diseases, care must be taken when choosing a parasite drug, because we may even complicate the situation if the correct drug is not taken. Do not take anything to heal! It's important to understand the problem you're struggling with, which medications are helpful, the best dose, and what contraindications it has. So it can be turned into a full detective story of battling parasites.
On our planet, more than 300, 000 species of worms are known to affect vertebrates. In humans, there are 300 species of worms (over 12, 000 according to other sources). So treating it with anything will not work. Although most of them are in the tropics, that's fine. Unless we don't take such "tourists" away from tropical countries where we like to relax (Turkey, Cyprus, Egypt, Thailand).
Every region of the world is characterized by certain worms. And everyone gets into the body differently.
How many species of worms are there on earth?
Schistosoma
Africa and Asia are known for their schistosomes. If you swim in your local freshwater reservoir or drink locally sourced water, you can easily get them. Schistosomiasis enter the human body mainly through the urogenital organs.
How to avoid getting schistosomiasis?
In principle you can avoid this if you don't swim in fresh water and only wash yourself with boiling water.
Filariasis and elephantiasis (filariasis)
You can also "get acquainted" with filarial worms during island vacations to Fiji, Mozambique, Goa, Tahiti, and Egypt. The main vectors of these parasites are mosquitoes (native mosquitoes).
Filariasis are dangerous because they cause filariasis (elephantia), which affects the lymph nodes and is difficult to treat.
Mosquitoes are also dangerous because they can be carriers of leishmaniasis (caused by leishmaniasis) and malaria. Leishmaniasis affects the mucous membranes and skin.
How to avoid getting filariasis?
The main rule is to keep mosquitoes away from you, let alone bite. Use curtains, insect repellent and special mosquito nets.
In the tropics, avoid running or walking barefoot on local trails or sandy beaches. The truth is that in this way, you can catch other types of parasites. In the "harmless" sand, various parasitic larvae often hide and can penetrate the body very quickly, even through the skin of the feet! So sometimes after a trip, you can find some kind of larva under the skin. Just like in some horror movies!
How to avoid contracting these parasites? Walk with only shoes on, and lying on sand or grass without a mat is not recommended.
fluke
The most dangerous foods are raw fish and raw fish.
Trematodes are one of many parasites that can be found in raw fish:
- China;
- Japan.
After tasting a piece of this fish (meaning an infection), 1/2 - 1 month later, you will experience an unpleasant feeling in the liver area, as well as a rash.
It's not just flukes that spread this way. Many worms are waiting for their next host to bite raw fish. Fans of caviar, sushi, salted and dried fish are also at risk of flukes.
How to avoid fluke infection?
First, exclude a variety of exotic dishes from sashimi from the menu. If you still can't live without these dishes, at least only in certified good restaurants.
If you're buying raw fish at the market or from a stranger, you should definitely have it cooked or you're taking a risk.
Trichinella and Trichinosis
What do you think, no other worms? No doubt we found them among other well-known products.
Here, Europeans are very fond of bloody steaks. There is another danger here - trichinosis.
Other worms can't even compare to this, because Trichinella is the most dangerous one! They can settle in muscle tissue and cause death.
In addition to trichinella, such a European dinner can "give" other parasites: pork and cattle tapeworms.
How to avoid infection with Trichinella and tapeworms?
Eat well-prepared meat dishes, and only in good restaurants.
Roundworms and Pinworms
Even if we eat vegetables and fruits, we need to consider the fact that another infection threat is imminent: roundworms and pinworms. That's why our mothers taught us to wash our fruits and vegetables before eating them. Mostly, the threat comes from spicy herbs (green) brought from southern regions.
How can I avoid getting roundworms and pinworms?
If you bought vegetables at the market, be sure to rinse them well. First, place the grass in the water for an hour to allow the worm eggs on the leaves to sink to the bottom of the container, then wash each leaf individually. like this!
Positive aspects of worms
I don't find the idea of such "pets" wandering around very warm. But let's stay optimistic because life is good.
The miniatures around us are full of surprises of all kinds:
- germ,
- Virus,
- parasites.
We contain whole kilograms of this biomass, there's nothing sick about it. We were not designed to live in an absolutely sterile environment where we would simply die.
Some of these organisms have positive effects because they are involved in different jobs in improving immunity, synthesis and digestion of certain vitamins.
I don't want to call worms useful animals for humans, but some are safe (intestinal parasites) and especially dangerous (parasites that live in other organs: lungs, liver, eyes, even the brain! ). In the latter case, everyone is thinking about how to recover quickly, because the problem is very serious.
Worms will leave the owner's body even if he is unaware of their existence in him.
For example, you can kill worms with a head of garlic, or through hormonal changes (in the case of pregnant women), anything is possible. If you decide to riot against these parasites without knowing what you're fighting, you may anger them. As such, they can complicate the situation by penetrating the bile duct and triggering a liver abscess. So, remember that regular prevention doesn't always help! For the presence of worms, it is best to go through hospital control.
Symptoms of a worm infection
how to proceed? Worms are everywhere, we are easily infected, it is not recommended to treat them without a diagnosis, and diagnosing worms is not an easy task. Worms are very good at disguising themselves as other diseases.
The most interesting thing: the bigger the worm (there are giants up to 10 meters tall), the calmer its behavior. As a result, it turns out that it is not always possible to analyze only certain symptoms to determine the correct diagnosis. You can't go without a parasitologist's examination.
Of course, no one can help you better than a doctor. Here are some situations where you need to make sure to get tested:
- During your recent vacation in different parts of the world, you ate all sorts of dubious local delicacies, swam in non-chlorinated hotel pools, walked barefoot on the beach, lay naked on the sand, on the grass, petted the local dogand cat;
- You have high fever, hives, redness, itching, rash all over the body, chills, bloating, and abdominal pain.
If you find your case, then you need to see a parasitologist.
Personal hygiene rules to avoid getting worms
food
- Let's start with the fact that you can only drink bottled water in a foreign country.
- Fruit, even if it looks appetizing, must be peeled or cooked. In simple form, their use is never recommended.
- Other problematic products are
- raw meat;
- Raw fish (any form, even sea).
- Freshly squeezed juices are also banned. Juiced fruit doesn't always go through a thorough cleaning process.
Refuse to use such products.
beach
Don't risk walking barefoot on sandy beaches, meadows and trails in foreign countries. Use sun loungers and slippers.
bathe
Swimming in freshwater reservoirs in India, Central Africa, and South America is prohibited. With so many parasites, even the movie Alien feels like a children's fairy tale compared to these.
Mosquito
Mosquitoes (or gnats) are very dangerous parasites because they are serious carriers of many infections and worms.
Avoid direct contact with them.
You will need to use insect repellent, wear long sleeves, and sleep under the tree canopy.
Linen
In a foreign country, it is strictly forbidden to dry clothes.
The problem is that flies in tropical countries like to lay their eggs on them, and wearing swimming trunks will hatch larvae that cause dermatitis.
Where are the tests to detect worms performed?
Tested only in specialized state clinics. Such tests are not recommended for suspicious institutions.
One of the reasons not to contact such clinics is that they can find anything you want even if you don't have anything.
Yes, yes, they may be there to prescribe unnecessary treatments in order to lure you. They will tell you that modern universal diagnostics see everything, even standard analysis sees nothing. Don't trust the charlatans and go to standard public clinics at will.
Now let's talk about so-called universal diagnostics. In the case of detecting worms etc. this is not possible.
If they have to urinate in the bladder, if in the gut - then feces, if in a muscle mass - then they will have to do an X-ray of the muscle, if in the liver - an ultrasound.
What do you think? A positive result from such an analysis can only serve as a reminder to deport it as soon as possible. Only take medicines recommended by parasitologists, as accuracy and precision are very important in this matter.
What should be remembered about worms?
In theory, worms can infect almost anywhere - cities, vacations, tropical countries, forests. But as the statistics say, even in this case, not everyone gets them. Those who follow basic hygiene rules generally reduce their risk of infection.
- The most important thing is not to panic and not to drink any preventive medicine, because there is no one-size-fits-all cure for worms. Even worm pills have their own classification based on the different forms of worms. It turns out that some pills help some parasites, while others don't. Your doctor will best determine your diagnosis and prescribe the correct pills. If you take care of your pets (cats and dogs) by regularly prescribing deworming medicine, and if none of the above symptoms bother you, then you have nothing to worry about.
- If you have any questions about this issue, see your doctor. Don't forget to tell us what you ate and where you were.
- As I told you before, you just need to get tested at a good specialist clinic. In bad clinics, you can spend a lot of money, but you won't get treatment.
- Any medicine used for prevention will only cause harm. Don't use them "just for prevention" or you can destroy your gut flora and even "earn" toxic hepatitis. Hydatid disease is very dangerous, which is why the aggressiveness of this stuff can blow up the cysts where the larvae reside. This can be fatal.
- If you are recommended "some dietary supplements for worms" at "a clinic", that doesn't mean you will all be fine. Many of these products contain allergy-causing toxins, and you may not get results.
The most common myths about worms
Sea fish free of parasites
Who told you this? Most of the worms contained fish that were not treated as necessary, or were not washed immediately after capture before freezing. This is how you increase your chances of infection.
Dogs are more susceptible to worms than cats
It is true that dogs have a habit of tasting the feces of their relatives. The most dangerous worm that can be "taken" from a dog is Echinococcus - a very dangerous parasite of the liver and lungs. For prophylaxis, animals are given a course of treatment 4 times a year. So dogs may be more dangerous than cats in this regard.
Only children can get worms
Do you believe it? It just seems to be because kids are less accurate, wash their hands less often, and sometimes don't follow hygiene rules. So hygiene rules are important for everyone!
People infected with worms can infect others
of course it's true. Approaching such a "patient" would take a risk, but you might not even know it. So wash your hands after shaking hands just in case. You are especially susceptible to pinworms (pinworms) because they are the most common type of worm. Also, frequently dirty kids can infect their parents, so teach your kids to follow hygiene rules.