shaneperry0101/health-chatbot huggingface dataset:
Question: Who is at risk for Parasites - Cysticercosis? ?
Answer: Cysticercosis is an infection caused by the larvae of the tapeworm, Taenia solium. A person with an adult tapeworm, which lives in the person’s gut, sheds eggs in the stool. The infection with the adult tapeworm is called taeniasis. A pig then eats the eggs in the stool. The eggs develop into larvae inside the pig and form cysts (called cysticerci) in the pig's muscles or other tissues. The infection with the cysts is called cysticercosis. Humans who eat undercooked or raw infected pork swallow the cysts in the meat. The larvae then come out of their cysts in the human gut and develop into adult tapeworms, completing the cycle.
People get cysticercosis when they swallow eggs that are excreted in the stool of people with the adult tapeworm. This may happen when people
- Drink water or eat food contaminated with tapeworm eggs
- Put contaminated fingers in their mouth
Cysticercosis is not spread by eating undercooked meat. However, people get infected with tapeworms (taeniasis) by eating undercooked infected pork. People who have tapeworm infections can infect themselves with the eggs and develop cysticercosis (this is called autoinfection). They can also infect other people if they have poor hygiene and contaminate food or water that other people swallow. People who live with someone who has a tapeworm infection in their intestines have a much higher risk of getting cysticercosis than other people.
Human cysticercosis is found worldwide, especially in areas where pig cysticercosis is common. Both taeniasis and cysticercosis are most often found in rural areas of developing countries with poor sanitation, where pigs roam freely and eat human feces. Taeniasis and cysticercosis are rare among persons who live in countries where pigs are not raised and in countries where pigs do not have contact with human feces. Although uncommon, cysticercosis can occur in people who have never traveled outside of the United States if they are exposed to tapeworm eggs.
More on: Taeniasis
Question: How to diagnose Parasites - Cysticercosis ?
Answer: If you think that you may have cysticercosis, please see your health care provider. Your health care provider will ask you about your symptoms, where you have travelled, and what kinds of foods you eat. The diagnosis of neurocysticercosis usually requires MRI or CT brain scans. Blood tests may be useful to help diagnose an infection, but they may not always be positive in light infections.
If you have been diagnosed with cysticercosis, you and your family members should be tested for intestinal tapeworm infection. See the taeniasis section for more information on intestinal tapeworm infections. More on: Taeniasis
More on: Resources for Health Professionals: Diagnosis
Question: What are the treatments for Parasites - Cysticercosis ?
Answer: Some people with cysticercosis do not need to be treated. There are medications available to treat cysticercosis for those who do need treatment. Sometimes surgery may be needed. Your doctor will advise you on which treatment is best for you.
More on: Resources for Health Professionals: Treatment
More on: Taeniasis
Question: How to prevent Parasites - Cysticercosis ?
Answer: To prevent cysticercosis, the following precautions should be taken:
- Wash your hands with soap and warm water after using the toilet, changing diapers, and before handling food
- Teach children the importance of washing hands to prevent infection
- Wash and peel all raw vegetables and fruits before eating
- Use good food and water safety practices while traveling in developing countries such as: - Drink only bottled or boiled (1 minute) water or carbonated (bubbly) drinks in cans or bottles
- Filter unsafe water through an "absolute 1 micron or less" filter AND dissolve iodine tablets in the filtered water; "absolute 1 micron" filters can be found in camping and outdoor supply stores
More on: Handwashing
More on: Food and Water Safety
Question: Who is at risk for Parasites - Trichuriasis (also known as Whipworm Infection)? ?
Answer: Whipworm is a soil-transmitted helminth (STH) and is the third most common roundworm of humans. Whipworm causes an infection called trichuriasis and often occurs in areas where human feces is used as fertilizer or where defecation onto soil happens. The worms are spread from person to person by fecal-oral transmission or through feces-contaminated food.
Geographic Distribution
Worldwide, infection occurs more frequently in areas with tropical weather and poor sanitation practices, and among children. In 2002, the estimated number of persons infected with whipworm was 1 billion. Trichuriasis also occurs in the southern United States.
Question: What are the treatments for Parasites - Trichuriasis (also known as Whipworm Infection) ?
Answer: Anthelminthic medications (drugs that rid the body of parasitic worms), such as albendazole and mebendazole, are the drugs of choice for treatment. Infections are generally treated for 3 days. The recommended medications are effective. Health care providers may decide to repeat a stool exam after treatment. Iron supplements may also be prescribed if the infected person suffers from anemia.
More on: Resources for Health Professionals: Treatment
Question: How to prevent Parasites - Trichuriasis (also known as Whipworm Infection) ?
Answer: The best way to prevent whipworm infection is to always:
- Avoid ingesting soil that may be contaminated with human feces, including where human fecal matter ("night soil") or wastewater is used to fertilize crops.
- Wash your hands with soap and warm water before handling food.
- Teach children the importance of washing hands to prevent infection.
- Wash, peel, or cook all raw vegetables and fruits before eating, particularly those that have been grown in soil that has been fertilized with manure.
More on: Handwashing
Transmission of infection to others can be prevented by
- Not defecating outdoors.
- Effective sewage disposal systems.
Question: What is (are) Yellow Fever Vaccination ?
Answer: If you continue to live or travel in yellow fever-endemic areas, you should receive a booster dose of yellow fever vaccine after 10 years.
After receiving the vaccine, you should receive an International Certificate of Vaccination (yellow card) that has been validated by the vaccination center. This Certificate becomes valid 10 days after vaccination and lasts for 10 years. You will need this card as proof of vaccination to enter certain countries.
Question: Who is at risk for Parasites - Schistosomiasis? ?
Answer: Schistosomiasis is an important cause of disease in many parts of the world, most commonly in places with poor sanitation. School-age children who live in these areas are often most at risk because they tend to spend time swimming or bathing in water containing infectious cercariae.
If you live in, or travel to, areas where schistosomiasis is found and are exposed to contaminated freshwater, you are at risk.
Areas where human schistosomiasis is found include:
- Schistosoma mansoni - distributed throughout Africa: There is risk of infection in freshwater in southern and sub-Saharan Africa–including the great lakes and rivers as well as smaller bodies of water. Transmission also occurs in the Nile River valley in Sudan and Egypt
- South America: including Brazil, Suriname, Venezuela
- Caribbean (risk is low): Dominican Republic, Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Saint Lucia.
- S. haematobium - distributed throughout Africa: There is risk of infection in freshwater in southern and sub-Saharan Africa–including the great lakes and rivers as well as smaller bodies of water. Transmission also occurs in the Nile River valley in Egypt and the Mahgreb region of North Africa.
- found in areas of the Middle East
- S. japonicum - found in Indonesia and parts of China and Southeast Asia
- S. mekongi - found in Cambodia and Laos
- S. intercalatum - found in parts of Central and West Africa.
Question: How to diagnose Parasites - Schistosomiasis ?
Answer: Stool or urine samples can be examined microscopically for parasite eggs (stool for S. mansoni or S. japonicum eggs and urine for S. haematobium eggs). The eggs tend to be passed intermittently and in small amounts and may not be detected, so it may be necessary to perform a blood (serologic) test.
More on: Resources for Health Professionals: Diagnosis
Question: What are the treatments for Parasites - Schistosomiasis ?
Answer: Safe and effective medication is available for treatment of both urinary and intestinal schistosomiasis. Praziquantel, a prescription medication, is taken for 1-2 days to treat infections caused by all Schistosoma species.
More on: Resources for Health Professionals: Treatment
Question: How to prevent Parasites - Schistosomiasis ?
Answer: Prevention
No vaccine is available.
The best way to prevent schistosomiasis is to take the following steps if you are visiting or live in an area where schistosomiasis is transmitted:
- Avoid swimming or wading in freshwater when you are in countries in which schistosomiasis occurs. Swimming in the ocean and in chlorinated swimming pools is safe.
- Drink safe water. Although schistosomiasis is not transmitted by swallowing contaminated water, if your mouth or lips come in contact with water containing the parasites, you could become infected. Because water coming directly from canals, lakes, rivers, streams, or springs may be contaminated with a variety of infectious organisms, you should either bring your water to a rolling boil for 1 minute or filter water before drinking it. Bring your water to a rolling boil for at least 1 minute will kill any harmful parasites, bacteria, or viruses present. Iodine treatment alone WILL NOT GUARANTEE that water is safe and free of all parasites.
- Water used for bathing should be brought to a rolling boil for 1 minute to kill any cercariae, and then cooled before bathing to avoid scalding. Water held in a storage tank for at least 1 - 2 days should be safe for bathing.
- Vigorous towel drying after an accidental, very brief water exposure may help to prevent the Schistosoma parasite from penetrating the skin. However, do not rely on vigorous towel drying alone to prevent schistosomiasis.
Those who have had contact with potentially contaminated water overseas should see their health care provider after returning from travel to discuss testing.
More on: Schistosomiasis in Travelers
Control
In countries where schistosomiasis causes significant disease, control efforts usually focus on:
- reducing the number of infections in people and/or
- eliminating the snails that are required to maintain the parasite’s life cycle.
For all species that cause schistosomiasis, improved sanitation could reduce or eliminate transmission of this disease. In some areas with lower transmission levels, elimination of schistosomiasis is considered a "winnable battle" by public health officials.
Control measures can include mass drug treatment of entire communities and targeted treatment of school-age children. Some of the problems with control of schistosomiasis include:
- Chemicals used to eliminate snails in freshwater sources may harm other species of animals in the water and, if treatment is not sustained, the snails may return to those sites afterwards.
- For certain species of the parasite, such as S. japonicum, animals such as cows or water buffalo can also be infected. Runoff from pastures (if the cows are infected) can contaminate freshwater sources.
Question: Who is at risk for Parasites - Lice - Head Lice? ?
Answer: In the United States, infestation with head lice (Pediculus humanus capitis) is most common among preschool- and elementary school-age children and their household members and caretakers. Head lice are not known to transmit disease; however, secondary bacterial infection of the skin resulting from scratching can occur with any lice infestation.
Getting head lice is not related to cleanliness of the person or his or her environment.
Head lice are mainly spread by direct contact with the hair of an infested person. The most common way to get head lice is by head-to-head contact with a person who already has head lice. Such contact can be common among children during play at:
- school,
- home, and
- elsewhere (e.g., sports activities, playgrounds, camp, and slumber parties).
Uncommonly, transmission may occur by:
- wearing clothing, such as hats, scarves, coats, sports uniforms, or hair ribbons worn by an infested person;
- using infested combs, brushes or towels; or
- lying on a bed, couch, pillow, carpet, or stuffed animal that has recently been in contact with an infested person.
Reliable data on how many people get head lice each year in the United States are not available; however, an estimated 6 million to 12 million infestations occur each year in the United States among children 3 to 11 years of age. Some studies suggest that girls get head lice more often than boys, probably due to more frequent head-to-head contact.
In the United States, infestation with head lice is much less common among African-Americans than among persons of other races. The head louse found most frequently in the United States may have claws that are better adapted for grasping the shape and width of some types of hair but not others.
Question: How to diagnose Parasites - Lice - Head Lice ?
Answer: Misdiagnosis of head lice infestation is common. The diagnosis of head lice infestation is best made by finding a live nymph or adult louse on the scalp or hair of a person.
Because adult and nymph lice are very small, move quickly, and avoid light, they may be difficult to find. Use of a fine-toothed louse comb may facilitate identification of live lice.
If crawling lice are not seen, finding nits attached firmly within ¼ inch of the base of hair shafts suggests, but does not confirm, the person is infested. Nits frequently are seen on hair behind the ears and near the back of the neck. Nits that are attached more than ¼ inch from the base of the hair shaft are almost always non-viable (hatched or dead). Head lice and nits can be visible with the naked eye, although use of a magnifying lens may be necessary to find crawling lice or to identify a developing nymph inside a viable nit. Nits are often confused with other particles found in hair such as dandruff, hair spray droplets, and dirt particles.
If no nymphs or adults are seen, and the only nits found are more than ¼ inch from the scalp, then the infestation is probably old and no longer active — and does not need to be treated.
Question: How to prevent Parasites - Lice - Head Lice ?
Answer: Head lice are spread most commonly by direct head-to-head (hair-to-hair) contact. However, much less frequently they are spread by sharing clothing or belongings onto which lice have crawled or nits attached to shed hairs may have fallen. The risk of getting infested by a louse that has fallen onto a carpet or furniture is very small. Head lice survive less than 1–2 days if they fall off a person and cannot feed; nits cannot hatch and usually die within a week if they are not kept at the same temperature as that found close to the scalp.
The following are steps that can be taken to help prevent and control the spread of head lice:
- Avoid head-to-head (hair-to-hair) contact during play and other activities at home, school, and elsewhere (sports activities, playground, slumber parties, camp).
- Do not share clothing such as hats, scarves, coats, sports uniforms, hair ribbons, or barrettes.
- Do not share combs, brushes, or towels. Disinfest combs and brushes used by an infested person by soaking them in hot water (at least 130°F) for 5–10 minutes.
- Do not lie on beds, couches, pillows, carpets, or stuffed animals that have recently been in contact with an infested person.
- Machine wash and dry clothing, bed linens, and other items that an infested person wore or used during the 2 days before treatment using the hot water (130°F) laundry cycle and the high heat drying cycle. Clothing and items that are not washable can be dry-cleaned OR sealed in a plastic bag and stored for 2 weeks.
- Vacuum the floor and furniture, particularly where the infested person sat or lay. However, spending much time and money on housecleaning activities is not necessary to avoid reinfestation by lice or nits that may have fallen off the head or crawled onto furniture or clothing.
- Do not use fumigant sprays or fogs; they are not necessary to control head lice and can be toxic if inhaled or absorbed through the skin.
To help control a head lice outbreak in a community, school, or camp, children can be taught to avoid activities that may spread head lice.
Question: Who is at risk for Parasites - Lice - Body Lice? ?
Answer: Body lice infestation is found worldwide but generally is limited to persons who live under conditions of crowding and poor hygiene who do not have access to regular bathing and changes of clean clothes, such as:
- the homeless,
- refugees,
- survivors of war or natural disasters.
Infestations can spread rapidly under such conditions. Body lice infestation can occur in people of all races.
Body lice are spread through direct contact with a person who has body lice or through contact with articles such as clothing, beds, bed linens, or towels that have been in contact with an infested person. However, in the United States, actual infestation with body lice tends to be occur only in homeless, transient persons who do not have access to regular bathing and changes of clean clothes.
Body lice can transmit disease. Epidemics of typhus and louse-borne relapsing fever have been caused by body lice (typically in areas where climate, poverty, and social customs or war and social upheaval prevent regular changes and laundering of clothing).
Question: How to diagnose Parasites - Lice - Body Lice ?
Answer: Body lice infestation is diagnosed by finding eggs and crawling lice in the seams of clothing. Sometimes a body louse can be seen crawling or feeding on the skin.
Although body lice and nits can be large enough to be seen with the naked eye, a magnifying lens may be necessary to find crawling lice or eggs.
Question: What are the treatments for Parasites - Lice - Body Lice ?
Answer: A body lice infestation is treated by improving the personal hygiene of the infested person, including assuring a regular (at least weekly) change of clean clothes. Clothing, bedding, and towels used by the infested person should be laundered using hot water (at least 130°F) and machine dried using the hot cycle.
Sometimes the infested person also is treated with a pediculicide, a medicine that can kill lice; however, a pediculicide generally is not necessary if hygiene is maintained and items are laundered appropriately at least once a week. A pediculicide should be applied exactly as directed on the bottle or by your physician.
If you choose to treat, guidelines for the choice of the pediculicide are the same as for head lice.
More on: Head Lice Treatment
Question: How to prevent Parasites - Lice - Body Lice ?
Answer: Body lice are spread most commonly by direct contact with an infested person or an infested person’s clothing or bedding. Body lice usually infest persons who do not launder and change their clothes regularly.
The following are steps that can be taken to help prevent and control the spread of body lice:
- Bathe regularly and change into properly laundered clothes at least once a week; launder infested clothing at least once a week.
- Machine wash and dry infested clothing and bedding using the hot water (at least 130°F) laundry cycle and the high heat drying cycle. Clothing and items that are not washable can be dry-cleaned OR sealed in a plastic bag and stored for 2 weeks.
- Do not share clothing, beds, bedding, and towels used by an infested person.
- Fumigation or dusting with chemical insecticides sometimes is necessary to control and prevent the spread of body lice for certain diseases (epidemic typhus).
Question: What is (are) Parasites - Toxocariasis (also known as Roundworm Infection) ?
Answer: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Fact Sheets
Question: Who is at risk for Parasites - Toxocariasis (also known as Roundworm Infection)? ?
Answer: Infected dogs and cats shed Toxocara eggs in their feces into the environment. Once in the environment, it takes 2 to 4 weeks for Toxocara larvae to develop and for the eggs to become infectious. Humans or other animals can be infected by accidentally ingesting Toxocara eggs. For example, humans can become infected if they work with dirt and accidentally ingest dirt containing Toxocara eggs. Although rare, people can be infected by eating undercooked or raw meat from an infected animal such as a lamb or rabbit. Because dogs and cats are frequently found where people live, there may be large numbers of infected eggs in the environment. Once in the body, the Toxocara eggs hatch and roundworm larvae can travel in the bloodstream to different parts of the body, including the liver, heart, lungs, brain, muscles, or eyes. Most infected people do not have any symptoms. However, in some people, the Toxocara larvae can cause damage to these tissues and organs. The symptoms of toxocariasis, the disease caused by these migrating larvae, include fever, coughing, inflammation of the liver, or eye problems.
A U.S. study in 1996 showed that 30% of dogs younger than 6 months deposit Toxocara eggs in their feces; other studies have shown that almost all puppies are born already infected with Toxocara canis. Research also suggests that 25% of all cats are infected with Toxocara cati. Infection rates are higher for dogs and cats that are left outside for more time and allowed to eat other animals. In humans, it has been found that almost 14% of the U.S. population has been infected with Toxocara. Globally, toxocariasis is found in many countries, and prevalence rates can reach as high as 40% or more in parts of the world. There are several factors that have been associated with higher rates of infection with Toxocara. People are more likely to be infected with Toxocara if they own a dog. Children and adolescents under the age of 20 are more likely to test positive for Toxocara infection. This may be because children are more likely to eat dirt and play in outdoor environments, such as sandboxes, where dog and cat feces can be found. This infection is more common in people living in poverty. Geographic location plays a role as well, because Toxocara is more prevalent in hot, humid regions where eggs are kept viable in the soil.
Question: What are the treatments for Parasites - Toxocariasis (also known as Roundworm Infection) ?
Answer: Visceral toxocariasis can be treated with antiparasitic drugs such as albendazole or mebendazole. Treatment of ocular toxocariasis is more difficult and usually consists of measures to prevent progressive damage to the eye.
More on: Resources For Health Professionals: Treatment