Grim footage shows parasitic worms crawling under the skin of a Vietnamese woman
A Vietnamese woman was reportedly left with parasitic worms crawling under her skin.
Grim images show the creatures nesting in the arms, legs and hands of the unknown 58-year-old.
Scans revealed that the infection had also reached her brain, according to her doctor, who was quoted in local media.
Medics aren’t sure what caused her infection.
But worms can be ingested by eating contaminated raw or undercooked meat.
In order for a human’s brain to be infected with a Taenia Solium larva, the eggs must pass through human feces and then a pig and then be ingested again where the larvae can infect the tissue through cysts, according to the World Health Organization
The woman is known to have eaten a local delicacy of raw blood before being struck down.
‘Tiet canh’, also known as blood soup, is a traditional Vietnamese dish consisting of fresh animal blood mixed with cooked meat.
The woman, from An Binh commune in the outskirts of Hanoi, was taken to Dang Van Ngu Hospital after suffering from extreme headaches and falling at home.
Dr. Tran Huy Tho, deputy director of the hospital, initially thought the woman had suffered a stroke, which can cause balance problems and severe headaches.
The woman has since been released from hospital after receiving medication to treat the infection.
Dr. Tho told local media on Monday that he was certain the infection was a result of eating Tiet canh.
Grim footage shows the creatures burrowing into the arms, legs and hands of the unknown 58-year-old
The woman said, “I thought if I made the pudding myself it would be clean and I’d be sure there wouldn’t be any disease involved.”
Dr. Tho said the patient’s situation could have been much worse, as it could have led to paralysis or death.
The doctor said: ‘Many people even think they suffer from epileptic seizures, strokes and other mental illnesses, so they are treated in psychiatric hospitals for years.
“By the time they get to Dang Van Ngu Hospital, their condition is already advanced and the parasites have already damaged their brains, forcing them to live for life with conditions such as impaired vision.”
It is unclear what kind of parasitic worm the woman was infected with.
But humans can get pork tapeworm, known scientifically as taenia solium, after eating raw or undercooked pork that carries the worm or its eggs.
The infection, which affects an estimated 2.5 million people a year, is most commonly detected in poor regions of Asia, South America and Eastern Europe, where there is poor sanitation and raw meat consumption.
While taenia solium usually causes no symptoms or mild stomach problems, it can lead to a parasitic tissue infection called cysticercosis, which can develop in the brain and cause headaches and balance problems. It can lead to stroke and death.
However, this infection does not cause visible worms under the skin.