To avoid pork tapeworm, do not eat raw or undercooked pork, wash hands often when traveling, and avoid untreated water. Pork tapeworm is more common in developing countries and can cause tapeworm or cysticercosis. Symptoms vary depending on the type of infection and treatment involves medication and sometimes surgery.
To avoid getting pork tapeworm, you should never eat raw pork or pork that hasn’t been fully cooked. Developing countries have the highest incidence of swine tapeworm infection, so wash your hands often when traveling and avoid drinking untreated local water. Keep in mind that surfaces and dirt can be contaminated with tapeworm eggs.
Avoid eating raw or undercooked pork; that is, pork that has not been cooked above 140°F (60°C). Freezing pork also kills tapeworm eggs, but only if the meat is frozen for a minimum of 24 hours at temperatures below -4°F (-20°C). After handling raw meat, always wash your hands thoroughly and clean all cooking surfaces and utensils.
Pork tapeworm infection is more common in developing and rural countries, particularly parts of Africa, Asia, and Central and South America, than in developed countries. In developing areas, sanitation conditions are often poor and feral pigs eat human faecal matter, thus promoting the cycle of infection. Even water supplies can be contaminated with tapeworm eggs. While travelling, it is important to drink only treated or bottled water and wash your hands thoroughly and regularly with soap.
There are two types of pork tapeworm infection. The first, tapeworm, occurs when a person’s intestines are infested with adult tapeworms. The second, cysticercosis, occurs when tissues throughout a person’s body are infested with larval tapeworms, which take the form of cysts. The eggs and larvae sometimes spread throughout the body, causing cysticercosis that can take hold in a person’s brain, muscle tissue, or eyes.
Tapeworm symptoms depend on whether a person has tapeworms or cysticercosis. Signs of tapeworm aren’t always obvious, but they can include weight loss and abdominal pain. The symptoms of cysticercosis depend on the area of the body where the cysts have lodged. If cysts are present in the brain, the most dangerous form of the infection, symptoms can include headaches, seizures and loss of balance. Cysticercosis in the muscles can be detected by nodules in the tissue, and if the infection is present in the eye, symptoms can include blurred vision and visible cysts in the eye tissue.
Treatment of a pork tapeworm is achieved with medicines such as praziquantel if a person’s intestines are infested with adult worms. When taking medicines that kill adult tapeworms, patients should be aware that the medicines do not kill tapeworm eggs, and patients should practice good hygiene to avoid reinfection. A wide range of treatments for cysticercosis are available, including anti-inflammatory drugs that reduce inflammation and drugs that help reduce the size of the larval cysts. Because of the threat of organ damage, surgery to remove the cysts may be recommended, but only if such removal is possible.
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