Parasitic worms found swarming underneath Vietnamese woman’s skin after she ate raw blood pudding - The Indian Express

A Vietnamese woman from An Binh commune in the suburbs of Hanoi was found to be infected with parasitic worms after eating a raw blood pudding. The 58-year-old survived the parasitic attack, which reached even her brain, after being taken to the hospital. Reportedly, the woman had eaten the traditional Vietnamese delicacy, 'Tiet canh', which is typically made up of raw blood of ducks, geese, or pigs, and cooked meat.

After eating the dish, she suffered from severe headaches and fell over multiple times in her home. According to mirror.co.uk, she was taken to the Dang Van Ngu Hospital where it was found that parasitic worms were swarming under her skin in her arms and legs, with some worms also nesting in her brain.

Deputy director of the hospital, Dr Tran Huy Tho, was quoted by local media as saying that the medical staff had initially thought that the symptoms were caused by a stroke. However, after undergoing a scan, it was discovered that she was suffering from an infestation of parasites in her body. She has now been discharged from the hospital and prescribed medication to cure the parasitic infestation.

Talking about the incident, the woman admitted to local media that she eats blood pudding once a month. "I thought if I make the pudding myself, it would be clean and I would rest assured knowing there would be no disease involved," she said.

Consuming raw or undercooked meat, particularly from certain animals, leads to parasitic infections (Source: Getty Images/Thinkstock)

Dr Tho added that the woman contracted the worm infestation from the raw blood pudding and that her condition could have been much more severe. "Many people even believe they suffer from seizures, strokes and other mental health conditions, so they get treated at psychiatric hospitals for years. By the time they go to Dang Van Ngu Hospital, their conditions have already progressed and the parasites have already harmed their brain, forcing them to live with lifelong conditions like reduced eyesight," he said.

Dr Dilip Gude, Senior Consultant Physician, Yashoda Hospitals, Hyderabad said that parasitic worms include many genera like pinworms, tapeworms, roundworms, flatworms, and hookworms. "The usual spread is a faecal-oral route, eating infected and undercooked red meat (cattle, pigs etc), touching contaminated surfaces, drinking contaminated water etc. Vector spread is also known in some parasitic infections like leishmania," he explained.

These worms usually tend to make small intestines as their nidus and lay eggs and multiply over there. "Once they mature these worms tend to travel through the body and burrow through tissues including skin, eyes etc. There can be a wide variety of manifestations predominantly anaemia, cachexia (loss of weight) etc. Rarely the worms can incubate for years before colonising and multiplying at a site," Dr Gude said.

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Adding, Dr Abhinav Gupta, Consultant, Gastroenterology, Narayana Multispeciality Hospital, Jaipur said that it is possible that consuming raw or undercooked meat, particularly from certain animals, leads to parasitic infections. "For example, a type of roundworm called Trichinella spiralis can be found in raw or undercooked pork, and consuming contaminated water or raw or undercooked freshwater fish can lead to infection with the parasitic worm called a trematode. These parasites can then migrate to various parts of the body, including the skin, causing symptoms such as itching, rashes, and in some cases, serious health problems," he said, adding that some parasites can cause relatively mild symptoms, such as digestive issues, while others can lead to serious complications, such as organ damage, blindness, and even death.

The expert suggested eating well-cooked meat, drinking, distilled water, following proper hygiene, and avoiding vector transmission by using insect repellants may help.

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