A pair of 2-meter-long tapeworms emerged from the man's body.

The man lives in Binh Duong province.Occasionally, he would notice flat, white segments, about 3-4 cm long, coming out with his stool. Sometimes, even when he wasn't having a bowel movement, he would still find these white segments.

During an examination at the Institute of Malaria, Parasitology and Entomology in Ho Chi Minh City on May 15th, the doctor...The patient was diagnosed with adult tapeworm infection and deworming was indicated. More than 3 hours afterAfter taking the medicine, the patient had a bowel movement.Two tapeworms, approximately 2.5 and 1.5 meters long, emerged.

According to the doctors,This is a rare case of simultaneous infection with two adult tapeworms; usually, only one tapeworm is expelled.

Every day, the Institute of Malaria, Parasitology and Entomology receives several patients infected with tapeworms. Recently, doctors removed a 6-meter-long tapeworm from the body of a 21-year-old man and a 5.2-meter-long tapeworm from a 27-year-old female patient.

Adult tapeworm infections often have no obvious symptoms. Some patients may experience mild abdominal pain, occasional digestive disorders, and slight weight loss if their nutrition is poor. The tapeworms can coexist for 5-10 years without the patient knowing.

Adult tapeworms are not very dangerous, except when they travel upstream to the stomach, breaking apart and releasing their eggs, which then become pork tapeworm larvae. Depending on the location of parasitism, pork tapeworm larvae will cause different symptoms.

If the cysts are located in the muscles, small, firm nodules, about 1-2 cm in size, will be visible. These nodules are easily movable, non-itchy, and painless. If the cysts are in the brain, the patient may experience epilepsy, paralysis of the arms and legs or hemiplegia, slurred speech, memory impairment, or severe headaches. If the cysts are in the eyes, they can cause increased intraocular pressure, decreased vision, or blindness.

To determine if someone has tapeworm infection or cysticercosis, it is necessary to rely on symptoms such as passing tapeworm segments in stool, digestive disorders, persistent abdominal pain, etc., and laboratory tests. Cysticercosis can be cured with medications such as Praziquantel and Albendazole.

To proactively prevent tapeworm and pork tapeworm larval infections, people should eat thoroughly cooked and hygienically prepared food. Do not use meat from sick pigs for food preparation. Avoid eating raw or undercooked pork, raw fermented pork sausage, and unhygienic raw vegetables.

Manage fresh feces, especially in areas where people are infected with adult pork tapeworms. Use sanitary latrines. Do not raise pigs in free-range conditions. People with adult tapeworms in their intestines must be treated and should not defecate indiscriminately.