Posted on 11/30/2006 9:25:08 PM PST by dennisw
A potentially fatal disease rarely seen here has popped up in Houston four times in the past two months. It's linked to tapeworms and their eggs.
He ate at mobile kitchens until he found out food contaminated with eggs from a tapeworm almost killed him.
"He's scared now. He's scared of any food from outside," said Marjorie, his daughter & translator.
The tile worker immigrated from El Salvador 20 years ago said early symptoms were subtle.
"It was a mild headache but it wouldn't go away," Marjorie explained. "It was just there and it wouldn't go away with Tylenol."
Doctors at a clinic gave him medicine for high blood pressure.
A few days later Ramirez passed out and didn't wake up for eight days.
"This is a picture of the cyst," said Dr. Aaron Mohanty, a UT Houston Medical School neurosurgeon.
Dr. Mohanty found the cyst with tapeworm larvae in Ramirez's brain.
It's a disease called cysticercosis.
"If they delayed 12 hours, six to 12 hours more he would not have survived," said Dr. Mohanty. "He was deeply unconscious."
This was Mohanty's fourth case in two months of a disease most often seen in developing countries.
"I think it's just a chance factor," said Dr. Mohanty.
In all four patients the UT Houston neurosurgeon removed the cysts through a small incision in the brain.
"The cycle starts with a human that's infected with the tapeworm," said Dr. Luis Ostrosky with the UT Houston Medical School.
Dr. Luis Ostrosky tells us the eggs from a tapeworm are spread by a human host who doesn't practice good hygiene after using the bathroom.
An unsuspecting victim then eats the contaminated food.
"These eggs hatch in the intestine and go through the gutwall and into the circulation and get stuck somewhere," said Dr. Ostrosky.
(Excerpt) Read more at khou.com ...
They say that 50 percent of th population has some kind of parasite. It is believable.
I think it's probably higher than that. Years ago a friend was selling this stuff called Awareness Cleanse that got rid of every parasite under the sun. The way it was marketed was through a cassette tape that really did a great job horrifying you as to what it crawling around in your body.
I listened to it very late one night and was EXTREMELY compelled to call the 800 number....Yes, they were open 24/7 because my reaction was the same as everyone else's: OMG, get these things out of me - now! At 2 am I handed over my credit card number.
I ordered the stuff and what "came out" over the next few weeks is a different story!
but, then I have my GSE (grapefruit seed extract)....I put it in my daily water bottle.....probably would kill anything I might eat.
Agricept is a my friend! lol
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