- Jeff - The abstract below discusses old data, i.e. from
1977 to the 1980s. Notice that the Cycticercosis cases are in Los Angeles
and mostly in hispanic community from Mexico. Maybe the case nubers are
going up now because we have better technology to identify the worm but
I suspect that case number rise is indicative of the exploding illegal
Mexican population pouring into the US.
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- Often in underdeveloped countries people contract the
infection from eating undercooked pork. People also contract tapeworm due
to poor hygene. People infected with the worm have larva in their intestines
and can pass the infection via the fecal route. Infected people who do
not properly wash their hands can easily pass on the infection to others
on surfaces, by handling fast food, restaurant food, etc.
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- So, here again, frequent and proper handwashing
can prevent the spread of this worm. So many illegals work in various
parts of our food chain, and if they are infected and don't wash their
hands they can pass the worm on to others. As we discussed on the program,
how many sanitizing stations and wash basins can one find out in the fields
on large corporate farms?
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- Patty
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- Here is the abstract -
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retri
eve&db=PubMed&list_uids=4068185&dopt=Abstract
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- Richards FO Jr, Schantz PM, Ruiz-Tiben E, Sorvillo FJ.
- Four hundred ninety-seven patients were identified as
having been treated for cysticercosis at four hospitals in Los Angeles
during the 11-year period 1973 through 1983. Eleven deaths were recorded.
Over 90% of these patients were Hispanics in productive age groups; the
majority were Mexican by nationality. Hospitalizations were generally short,
and readmissions for recurrence of symptoms or complications of therapy
occurred in only 14% of patients. Cysticercosis was diagnosed in 12 US
citizens who had no history of travel to countries considered traditionally
endemic for Taenia solium taeniasis/cysticercosis. A dramatic rise in numbers
of cases was observed after 1977, appearing to plateau at approximately
80 cases per year in 1981. The increase in cases beginning in 1977 coincided
with the introduction of the computed tomographic scan.
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- PMID: 4068185 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE
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- Patricia A. Doyle DVM, PhD
- Bus Admin, Tropical Agricultural Economics
- Univ of West Indies
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- Please visit my "Emerging Diseases" message
board at:
- http://www.emergingdisease.org/phpbb/index.php
- Also my new website:
- http://drpdoyle.tripod.com/
- Zhan le Devlesa tai sastimasa
- Go with God and in Good Health
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