His face was covered in worms and skin parasites because he applied snail slime for skin beautification.

Snails are a delicacy often enjoyed at parties and are also considered a beauty secret by many women. However, using snails for beauty purposes carries the risk of parasitic infections that can cause meningitis.

Infected with worms and parasites from snails.

The National Institute of Malaria and Parasitology once examined and treated a patient who had eye worms due to using snails to treat conjunctivitis.

According to this patient, he is from Hoa Binh province. He had conjunctivitis but didn't seek medical attention. Instead, he put snails in his eyes hoping to cure it. Instead of getting better, he experienced more pain, eyelid swelling, and eye aching. When he went to the Central Eye Hospital, the doctor diagnosed him with a parasitic infection in his eye and referred him to the Central Institute of Malaria and Parasitology.

The case of Ms. Vu Thi Man Ch., residing in Bao Thang, Lao Cai, involves a parasitic infection caused by using snails for beauty purposes. Ms. Ch. was introduced by friends to a method of treating melasma by letting snails crawl on her face, believing the snail mucus would exfoliate dead skin cells, thus fading melasma and freckles. After applying snails a few times, Ms. Ch. experienced itching and swelling in several areas of her face. She went to the hospital, where doctors diagnosed her with dermatitis.

When she went to the Central Dermatology Hospital for examination, the doctor ordered a blood test because they suspected she had a parasitic infection from applying snail shells as a beauty treatment. The results showed that Ms. Ch. had subcutaneous eelworm parasites. These parasites can come from dog feces, cat feces, and snails that have crawled over and are infected with the parasite. When applied to a person's face with open wounds, the parasites can enter.

It is possible to die from eating snails.

Dr. Pham Hong Lanh from the Central Dermatology Hospital stated that using live snail mucus to treat acne, melasma, and for beauty purposes carries many potential risks of infection. Snails are mollusks that harbor many parasitic larvae. When snails are applied to the skin, the mucus, a habitat for many types of larvae, can attack the skin, eyes, mouth, and mucous membranes.

And when attacked by larvae, if not examined promptly, it can leave serious consequences for the brain. This is because these larvae can travel to the human brain and other parts of the body through the bloodstream.

According to data from the Department of Preventive Medicine under the Ministry of Health, parasitic infections from snails are on the rise, especially in southern provinces.

The larvae of the Angiostrongylus cantonensis (A. cantonensis) worm, which commonly resides in snails, cause meningoencephalitis with symptoms such as severe headache, fever, nausea, meningeal irritation, and possible inflammation of the nerves leading to facial paralysis, double vision, sensory disturbances. In severe cases, seizures, paralysis, rambling speech, loss of balance, memory loss, and coma may occur. The illness lasts from several days to several months and can be fatal. ...At the Ho Chi Minh City Tropical Diseases Hospital, doctors frequently receive patients with meningitis caused by eating raw snails, using snails for beauty purposes, or eating grilled snails.

The disease is caused by infection with A. cantonensis, a type of roundworm that parasitizes the lungs of rats, and the rats excrete the worm larvae in their feces. In the environment, the larvae parasitize intermediate hosts, which are mollusks found in land or sea. Therefore, humans can become infected by eating snails, coming into contact with snail mucus containing the larvae, or drinking contaminated water. Once inside the human body, A. cantonensis larvae will parasitize the brain or other organs, primarily the central nervous system.

Currently, there is no specific treatment or cure for meningitis caused by the worm A. cantonensis, including anthelmintic drugs.

The Food Safety Administration advises: Absolutely do not follow rumors or "experience" to use or "try using" wild snails, garden snails, or other similar species for any purpose whatsoever.

Absolutely do not eat raw, undercooked, or whole shellfish that have not been properly cleaned and prepared. People should clean the environment, eliminate rats, snails, and slugs in residential areas to break the biological life cycle of the roundworm A. cantonensis and prevent the risk of disease in humans.

According to Zing.vn