Recently, news from the Netherlands has caused a stir in the scientific world.17 Volunteers consented to the injection of dangerous parasites into their blood (causing serious diseases schistosomiasis).According to scientists, this disease kills up to 200 thousand people in the world every year.Now Dutch experts are closer to developing a vaccine - to test it, they infect people with schistosomiasis.
The results of the study have not yet been released;What happened to the 17 people who risked their health for the sake of science.But one thing is clear: Parasites continue to excite the whole world.
More than 7 billion people live on earth.A third of them carry helminths (in common - worms).These are parasites that cause severe and extremely unpleasant diseases (Schistosoma is also a worm).At least, these are the estimates given by the World Health Organization.
There is even worse information: every year millions of people die from parasitic diseases.Tropical regions are especially affected, the conditions are ideal for the spread of anything nasty (high humidity, heat, unsanitary).But even in less tropical areas, parasites are everywhere.
Tens of thousands of people are treated for helminthiasis every year.For example, at the beginning of 2018, there were increasing reports of ASSARIASIS (ASCARIS is a species).
The plumbing department has even developed a regulatory act that will precisely regulate the work to combat helminthiases.Clearly, the problem is serious.
Different helminths - round and flat, in water, on land, in animal feces, etc.Round, but all very dangerous.They usually enter the human body through contaminated water or food.But sometimes it is enough for the parasite larvae to get in with their dirty hands and grow in the intestines to grow in the intestines.If you walk barefoot where the larvae live, there are types of parasites that can pass through the skin of the body.
Worms seem to eat the body from the inside.They are jaundice, sepsis (blood poisoning), problems with the joints and nervous system (endless vomiting, diarrhea and other intestinal problems).
Children are most affected.They forget to wash their hands before eating, and after using the toilet, they often leave dirty toys and eat some sand outside (especially in the summer) and drink dirty water from an open reservoir.But adults are also "at gunpoint" for worms.
The most common helminthiases are ascariasis, toxogariasis, trichuriasis, strongylioliasis and hookah disease.The names do not cause concern until you type them into a search engine and enter the "images" section - yes, such hideous big worms can live inside you.
Worms with beautiful names
Ascariasis- The most common helminthiasis accounts for 90% of infections, so we will talk about it in more detail.Roundworms are long, nasty worms that attack the human small intestine.Every year, up to 800 million cases of Ascariasis are recorded in the world.
The source of infection is the same unwashed fruits, vegetables and berries.There are different types of roundworms: there are those that infect animals, but there is a separate type for humans.That is, you cannot get infected with Ascariasis from an animal.
As mentioned above, due to the withdrawal of children, most children catch parasites.In the case of ascariasis, villagers of all ages are also at risk - often they come into contact with the place where Ascaris larvae hide.The main symptoms of ascariasis are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, poor appetite, unbearable anal itching, high fever.
Among the complications of ascariasis (which occurs when the parasites are not detected for a long time), there is intestinal obstruction, appendicitis, pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas).A person already has round devices inside their maximum size (almost 30 cm), crawling into the lungs, throat and sinuses) is how patients detect them.
Imagine - a long white worm from your intestines.It is not known for certain whether an infected person always feels the movement of the roundworm inside.You can only listen to yourself.
There are other, rarer helminthias.A worm with the burning name of "Toxocara".Tochocariasis.Also, a contract can be concluded from dogs.Symptoms will be different - fever, bronchitis, pneumonia, skin rash.
In the pathogentrichocephalosisA simpler name is whip.Outwardly, it looks like a small whip.Often, this disease is generally asymptomatic, and if the number of parasites is already large, the symptoms begin as Ascariasis.
Strong-armed soldiers (pathogens)strongyloidiasis) - These are the same reptiles that can penetrate a person through the skin (even intact).You can get infected in the same wayHookah addiction.If this happens, there will be severe itching where the worms crawl, and over time, the sick person will develop diarrhea, abdominal pain, and a skin rash.
These are only some of the types of helminthiasis - there are hundreds of types in total, each of which has its own characteristics.
Most importantly, you can die from worms.Fortunately, this does not happen often, but parasites are designed to live off the resources of their hosts.Worms eat through the internal organs and crawl into the lungs and even the heart - all this is a great threat to life.In addition, they produce toxins that penetrate the blood, which causes this poison to spread throughout the body.
Only timely removal of helminths from the body can save you from inevitable serious consequences.
Find and neutralize
It is worth understanding that it can often live happily in the body until the stool test separates you.They will lay millions of eggs in your intestines, but symptoms may not appear at all.It is feces where parasites and their larvae can be found.
The doctor should not confuse the symptoms of Ascariasis or other helminthiasis with other diagnoses - for example, vomiting is caused by dozens of other diseases, and a skin rash is a symptom of a completely different disease.If you have a symptom similar to a parasitic infection, you should immediately consult a doctor.
Diagnosis of helminthiases is carried out by examination of feces.There are methods of serodiagnosis: Elisa (enzyme-linked immunosorbent test - it is checked for the presence of specific antibodies that appear during infection with one or another type of helminthiasis).
Another reliable diagnostic method is an X-ray - the picture will show worms crawling through your intestines (or other places).Blood and urine tests are required to determine the level of intoxication in the body and prescribe the correct treatment.
Pharmaceutical companies have long introduced many anthelmintic drugs that help get rid of worms.On average, the treatment of helminthiasis takes from 3 to 5 days.Most treatment, treatment can be done on an outpatient basis - there is no need to stay in the hospital (if complications have not already developed).
If you have not yet understood, we remind you: Worms can catch absolutely everything, regardless of gender, age and social status.Of course, don't forget to clean vegetables and other foods, keep your dishes clean, and always wash your hands before lunch.Especially if you often travel to tropical countries in Asia and Africa, then all hygiene rules should be followed doubly carefully.