WORM INFESTATIONS

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worm infestations are long-term diseases that produce few symptoms in their early stages and sometimes serious effects at well developed stages or may be quite fatal at times .

Definition

Worms can be generally classified as ROUND WORMS : pin worms,hook worms FLAT WORMS :tape worm FLUKES : liver fluke

Flatworms Flatworms include Tapeworms and Flukes. Flatworms breathe and

eat literally through their skin. Oxygen and nutrients literally pass through their skin. They have no separate organs for digestion or circulation.

Flatworms feed on the blood, tissue fluids, or pieces of cells inside the bodies of their hosts. Flatworms live on the skin, mouth, gills or other outside parts of a host, or they can live internally such as the ones that live in humans that infect the blood and organs.

Flatworms range in size from being microscopic to some over 20 metres long for example in the whale tapeworm. The most common types of flatworms that live in humans are Tapeworms and Flukes.

Tapeworms Tapeworms live in human intestines where they

feed on the partially-digested food in their host’s intestines. It is a fully protected environment and they grow and thrive in these conditions.  

Tapeworms are parasitic worms and are most often referred to as just parasites. They literally survive through their host’s nutrients. Parasites need hosts to survive.

Flukes Flukes are a type of parasitic Flatworm. Flukes get their name

from the way they look as they are flat and the word "fluke" comes from a German word "flah" meaning "flat". Flukes have at least one external sucker, which they use to attach themselves to their host.

Some flukes live on the gills, skin or outside of their hosts while others, such as blood flukes that live in humans, live internally in their hosts. Blood flukes are largely confined to very hot tropical areas such as North Africa and South East Asia and contribute to some extreme health conditions.

Roundworms Some of the most common types of Roundworms include

Pinworms or Threadworms, Hookworms, Ascaris (a word that literally means ‘intestinal worm’) and Heartworms.

Roundworms have hollow bodies and openings at either end and generally grow between 2-5 inches long. Roundworms are very commonly found in pets and animals such as dogs and cats and can be easily passed on to humans. Roundworms live in salt water, fresh water and the soil.

Eating contaminated foods or getting worms from contaminated pets is the most usual way to get roundworms (a category of worms). Hookworms and pinworms are often the most common types of roundworms found in humans.

HOOK WORMS abdominal pain colic (cramping and excessive crying in infants) intestinal cramps nausea fever blood in your stool appetite loss itchy rash ASCARIS nausea vomiting irregular stools visible worms in the stool stomach or abdominal pain weight loss

Round worm symptoms

PIN WORMS frequent and strong itching of the anal area restless sleep due to the itching and discomfort pain, rash, or other skin irritation around the anus the presence of pinworms in the area of your child’s

anus the presence of pinworms in stools

WHIP WORM bloody diarrhea painful or frequent defecation abdominal pain nausea vomiting headaches sudden and unexpected weight loss fecal incontinence, or the inability to control defecation

TAPE WORM pain unexplained weight loss blockage of the intestine digestive problems

Raw fish and meat. Contaminated food Contaminated water Unhygienic life style Pets

Causes

Avoid uncooked meat and raw fish Thoroughly cook meat to temperatures of at least 145

degrees Fahrenheit for whole cuts of meat and to at least 160 degrees F for ground meat. Then let it rest for at least 3 minutes before carving or eating. Safe temperatures for poultry are different.

Freeze meat to -4 degrees F for at least 24 hours to kill tapeworm eggs.

When traveling in undeveloped countries, cook fruits and vegetables with boiled or chemically-treated water before eating.

Wash hands with soap and hot water before preparing or eating foods.

Prophylaxis

There are several medicines that may be used to treat worm infections - they are sometimes called anthelmintics. Mebendazole is the most commonly prescribed medicine for worms . This is because it is used to treat threadworms which are the most common worm infections . Mebendazole is also used to treat roundworm, whipworm and hookworm infections.

Other medicines that may be prescribed for the various types of worm infections include:

Levamisole Niclosamide Praziquantel Albendazole Diethylcarbamazine Ivermectin Tiabendazole

Treatment

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