Many of us will think about the presence of worms (helminths) after our summer vacation.
Some people think that they need to get rid of them at all costs, others on the contrary, they think that these parasites are very useful for the body. Who tells us the truth?
Surely many are familiar with the famous Dr. House. In one series, there was a case where one of the teachers got sick in class. The kids were scared and the doctors didn’t know what was happening to him because he was in a very serious condition. Every doctor proclaimed his theory. Some thought the patient had a tumor and others thought he had cerebral vasculitis. The protagonist of the television series, Dr. House himself, solves this problem by finding the person responsible for the teacher’s suffering. A tapeworm tormented the woman. Then the teacher was prescribed a cure containing a pill and she recovered.
While this series looks fantasy, the script for this series is made by real pros. The real cases of infection with worms are also similar to a myth, but unfortunately the consequences are not always correctable, as in the case of the series. How do we know if we are infected or not? Are we in danger or not?
About worm prevention
People, when they hear about various miracle cures to destroy these parasites, forget everything just to get rid of them.
We have developed such a strong aversion to these animals that even if we think about them, it will be bad. We are ready to try ourselves with even the "most abnormal" medicines, drink all sorts of dubious herbs, and even make a garlic enema.
It is very important not to overdo it with any medication and stop it on time. In the case of parasitic diseases, care must be taken in the selection of drugs against worms, because without taking the right drugs, we can even complicate the situation. Do not take anything for treatment! It is very important to know what is struggling, what medication is helping, what dose is optimal and what are its contraindications. So it could be a whole detective story in the fight against parasites.
More than 300, 000 species of worms on our planet are known to affect vertebrates. There are 300 species of worms in humans (according to other sources, more than 12, 000 species). So whatever you handle, it just won’t work. Although it’s good that most are in the tropics. This is only the case if we do not bring in such "tourists" from tropical countries where we like to relax (Turkey, Cyprus, Egypt, Thailand).
Every region of the world is characterized by certain worms. And everyone has a different way of entering their bodies.
How many species of helminths exist on Earth?
Schistosomes
About famous schistosomes in Africa and Asia. And you can very easily get infected with them if you swim in a local freshwater reservoir or drink water from a local source. Schistosomes enter the body mainly through the urinary tract.
How to avoid infection with schistosomes?
If you don’t swim in fresh water and only wash in boiled water, you can avoid this in principle.
Filaria and elephantiasis (filariasis)
In Fiji, Mozambique, Goa, Tahiti, and Egypt, you can also "get acquainted" with filaria during your vacation. Mosquitoes (local mosquitoes) are the main carriers of these parasites.
Filaria is dangerous because it causes filariasis (elephantiasis), which affects the lymph nodes and is very difficult to treat.
Mosquitoes are also dangerous because they can be carriers of leishmaniasis (caused by leishmania) and malaria. Leishmaniasis affects the mucous membranes and skin.
How to avoid filaria infection?
The main rule is not to let mosquitoes approach, let alone pinch them. Use curtains, alarms and special mosquito nets.
When in the tropics, avoid running barefoot or walking on local trails or sandy beaches. The thing is, you can catch other types of parasites this way. The "harmless" sand very often hides various parasitic larvae that can penetrate the body very quickly, even through the skin of the foot! So when you return home from your travels, you can sometimes find some larvae under your skin. Like in a horror movie!
How to avoid infection with such parasites? Only walk in shoes and it is not recommended to lie on the sand or grass without a rug.
Luck
The most dangerous foods are both raw fish and raw.
The metastasis is one of the many parasites found in raw fish:
- China;
- Japan.
After tasting a piece of such fish (meaning infected) 1/2 to 1 month later, you may feel discomfort in the liver as well as a rash.
It's not just the wart spread that way. Many worms are waiting for the next farmer to bite a raw fish. Lovers of caviar, sushi, salted and dried fish are also at risk of contagion.
How to avoid gingerbread infection?
First, exclude all kinds of exotic food from the raw fish from the menu. If you still can’t eat such food, at least eat it in good, qualified restaurants.
If you buy raw fish at the market or from strangers, be sure to cook it already, otherwise you risk it.
Trichinella and trichinosis
Do you think there are no other worms? Make no mistake, we have found them in other well-known products.
Here, Europeans really like bloody steaks. And here’s another danger - trichinosis.
Other worms are not comparable to this because Trichinella is one of the most dangerous! They can settle in the muscle tissue and lead to death.
In addition to trichinella, such a European dinner could "add" other parasites: swine and bovine tapeworms.
How to avoid trichinosis and tapeworm infection?
Eat well-prepared meat dishes and only in good restaurants.
tapeworms and pinworms
Even if we eat vegetables and fruits, we need to keep in mind that there is another danger of infection: tapeworms and fungal worms. This is why our mothers taught us to wash fruits and vegetables before consuming them. Most often, spicy herbs (greens) are the danger that are brought to us from the southern regions.
How to avoid infection with tapeworms and fungal worms?
If you bought vegetables at the market, be sure to rinse them. First, leave the grass in the water for an hour to allow the worm leaves on the leaves to sink to the bottom of the pot, and only then wash each leaf. Like this!
Positive aspects of worms
I don’t think the thought of such "pets" roaming is too hot. But let’s be optimistic because life is beautiful.
The microcosm around us is full of surprises:
- bacteria,
- viruses,
- parasites.
And we contain a whole kilogram of that kind of biomass, and there’s nothing pathological about that. We were not designed to live in a completely sterile environment where we would simply die.
Some of these organisms have a positive effect because they are involved in improving immunity, in the synthesis of certain vitamins, and because of them, digestion works differently.
I don’t want to call helminths animals useful to humans, but they are safe (intestinal parasites) and especially dangerous (parasites in other organs: lungs, liver, eyes, and even the brain! ). In the latter case, everyone is thinking about how to heal quickly because the problem is very serious.
Sometimes helminths leave the owner’s body, even if he doesn’t know they exist in his body.
For example, you can get rid of worms with a head of garlic, or anything possible with hormonal changes (in the case of a pregnant woman). If you decide to rebel against these parasites without knowing what you are fighting against, you can infuriate them. This can complicate the situation if they penetrate the bile ducts and cause liver abscess. So remember, regular prevention doesn’t always help! It is better to hand over the check to the hospital for the presence of helminths.
Symptoms of a worm infection
How to proceed? Worms surround us everywhere, so we can get infected easily, it is not recommended to treat them without a diagnosis, and diagnosing an intestinal worm is not an easy task. Worms are very good at disguising themselves as other diseases.
And the most interesting thing is: the bigger the helmin (there are giants that reach up to 10 meters), the calmer it behaves. Thus, it is not always possible to analyze only a few symptoms, it turns out that the correct diagnosis is made. It is not possible without a parasitologist examination.
Of course, no one can help you better than a doctor. Here are some cases where you need to do the test:
- during his recent vacation in different parts of the world, he ate various local dubious delicacies, swam in hotel pools that were not chlorinated, walked barefoot on the beach, lay naked in the sand, on the grass, touched local dogs and cats;
- high fever, hives, redness, itching, rash, chills, bloating and abdominal pain.
If you find out your situation, you should see a parasitologist.
Personal hygiene rules to avoid infection with worms
Food
- Let’s start with the fact that only bottled water can be drunk in exotic countries.
- The fruits, even if they look very appetizing, need to be peeled or cooked. Using them in a simple form is by no means recommended.
- Other products in question
- raw meat;
- raw fish (in any form, even at sea).
- Freshly squeezed juices are also prohibited. Juicing does not always go through a thorough washing process.
Do not use such products.
Beach
Don’t risk walking barefoot on sand, grass, trails in exotic countries. Use a sun lounger and slippers.
Bathing
Swimming in the freshwater reservoirs of India, Central Africa and South America is prohibited. There are so many parasites that, compared to these, even the movie "Alien" looks like a child's tale.
mosquitoes
Mosquitoes (or mosquitoes) are very dangerous parasites as they are serious carriers of many infections and intestinal worms.
Avoid direct contact with them.
An alarm should be used, long-sleeved clothing should be worn, sleeping under the canopy.
canvas
In exotic countries, it is strictly forbidden to air dry clothes.
The problem is that flies from tropical countries really like to lay eggs on it, and when we put on swimming trunks, larvae hatch, which can cause dermatitis.
Where can tests be performed to detect worms?
Perform tests only at specialized public clinics. Doubtful institutions are not recommended to conduct such investigations.
One of the reasons you should not contact such clinics is the fact that they will find whatever you are looking for, even if you have nothing.
Yes, yes, to tie them down, they can prescribe unnecessary treatment cycles there. They will say that modern universal diagnostics sees everything, even where standard analyzes see nothing. Don’t believe the charlatans and feel free to go to the usual public clinics.
Now let’s talk about so-called universal diagnostics. In such cases, such as the detection of helminth samples, this is not possible.
If they have to pass urine in the bladder, in the intestines - in the stools, in the muscle mass - an ultrasound should be done, if in the liver.
What did you think? Positive results from such analyzes can only warn that they will be ruled out as soon as possible. Only take medications recommended by your parasitologist because accuracy and precision are very important in this matter.
What to remember about helminths?
Theoretically, helminths can become infected almost everywhere - in the city, on vacation, in tropical countries, in the woods. But as the statistics say, even in such cases, not everyone gets infected with them. Those who follow basic hygiene rules usually reduce the risk of infection.
- The most important thing is not to panic and do not take any medication for prevention because there are no universal cures for worms. Even worm tablets have their own classification according to the different forms of helminths. It has been found that some pills help some parasites while others do not. The doctor will best determine the diagnosis and prescribe the appropriate pills. If you regularly take care of your pets (cats and dogs) by prescribing anthelmintics and you are not bothered by any of the symptoms mentioned above, you have no reason to worry.
- If in doubt about this, see a doctor. Don’t forget to tell us what you ate and where you were.
- As I said before, you only need to do tests at good specialist clinics. You can spend a lot of money on bad clinics and you won’t be able to handle it.
- Any medication taken for prevention can only hurt. Do not use them "for prevention only", otherwise you may destroy the intestinal flora and even "look for" toxic hepatitis. Echinococcosis is very dangerous, so such an initiative could blow up the cyst where the larva is located. This can be fatal.
- If "some dietary supplements against worms" have been recommended to you at "one of the clinics, " that doesn’t mean everyone will get better. Many of these products contain toxins that can cause allergies and may not achieve the effect.
The most common myths about helminths
Sea fish do not contain parasites
Who told you this? Most worms contain fish that have not undergone the required processing or have not been cleaned immediately after freezing. This can increase the chance of infection.
Dogs are more likely to get worms than cats
In fact, dogs have a habit of tasting the feces of their relatives. The most dangerous helminths "taken away" from dogs are echinococcus - very dangerous parasites of the liver and lungs. To prevent this, prescribe one treatment to the animals 4 times a year. So dogs can be more dangerous than cats.
Only children can get worms
did you believeThis may only seem because children are less accurate, wash their hands less often, and sometimes do not follow hygiene rules. So hygiene rules are important for everyone!
A person infected with worms can infect others
Of course it is true. Being near such a "patient" takes risks, but you may not even know it. So after shaking hands, wash your hands anyway. It can be particularly easily infected with fungal worms (enterobiasis) because these are the most common worms. In addition, very often dirty children can infect their parents, so teach your children to follow hygiene rules.