While tapeworms are not a major problem in this country as probably only 1,500 to 2,000 people are affected a year. Regional Prevalence of Tapeworm in US Animals is depicted in the map.
Worldwide, it’s an epidemic with a minimum in just Latin America of 11 to 29 million people infected. Multiply this by the rest of the world and you have disaster.
Tapeworms can cause comas, paralysis, blindness, violent seizures and much more. An adult tape worm can produce up to 50,000 eggs in a human’s intestines. While the parasite can pass from pigs to humans, its eggs can pass from contaminated foods directly to humans.
These eggs can actually get into our brain where they are protected from being detected by our immune system. The eggs form cysts and as they grow the cysts can press upon and damage the part of the brain where they are located.
Preventing tapeworms from getting into the human brain is the place to start. People with tapeworms can be given drugs to kill the parasites and it is also possible to vaccinate the pigs so that the tapeworm is destroyed before they can lay their eggs.
(Reported Discover 2012)
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