SCRIPT NUMBER 147
INTESTINAL PARASITES - 2
(TWO SPEAKERS)
PROGRAM NAME: HEALTH NUGGETS
PROGRAM TITLE: INTESTINAL PARASITES - 2
PROGRAM NUMBER: 147
SUBJECT:
CAUSES, TREATIMENT, PREVENTION OF HUMAN INTESTINAL
PARASISTES
KEY WORDS: INTESTINE, ABDOMINAL BLOATING, IMMUNE SYSTEM,
STEROIDS, AIDS
DATE OF SCRIPT: JANUARY 17, 2014
AUTHOR: RICHARD YUKL, MD, FACS
SPEAKER 1:
You have probably heard of parasite infections of the
intestine. They are the second greatest cause of death and illness worldwide,
killing nearly 3 million people every year.
SPEAKER 2:
I know a man who lives in a crowded city that has no
sewage system, and where everyone has to get the water they need for drinking
and for washing in buckets from a river. One day, his entire family developed
diarrhea so severe that their youngest child, a boy only four years old, died. The
rest of the family remained sick with diarrhea, weakness and weight loss for more
than a month. The cause proved to be intestinal parasites from contaminated
water.
SPEAKER 1:
What are intestinal parasites?
SPEAKER 2:
They are worms or one-celled organisms that live in our
intestine. They can live anywhere in our body, but they prefer the intestinal wall.
There, they use our blood and our body’s waste as their food. They are a
problem because, when they infect our intestine, they destroy our ability to
absorb the food we have eaten, and that causes diarrhea. Intestinal parasites
can also pass through our intestinal wall and use our blood stream to spread to
other organs such as our liver or our lungs, causing severe and even lifethreatening disease.
SPEAKER 1:
How do you become infected with parasites?
SPEAKER 2:
Parasites are spread through human and animal waste.
Infected waste sometimes finds its way into our drinking water, and into the water
we use to grow our food. People living in developing countries are at an
increased risk of infection because their water can become contaminated due to
inadequate sewage treatment. That was the case with the family of which I
spoke. Children are also at increased risk because they come into contact with
infected dirt in places such as sandboxes and school playgrounds.
SPEAKER 1:
How does my body fight a parasite infection?
SPEAKER 2:
God designed each of us with an immune system that can
successfully fight infections such as those caused by parasites. Unfortunately,
some people’s immune systems have become weakened. Cancers such as
lymphoma, and virus infections such as AIDS weaken our immune system.
Medical conditions requiring steroid treatments, and medicines used to fight
cancer also weaken our immune system, and a weakened immune system
increases our risk of developing a parasitic infection.
SPEAKER 1:
What symptoms will let me know I have a parasite infection?
SPEAKER 2:
Symptoms include mucous-containing diarrhea that can be
mild or severe. Diarrhea appears several days to several weeks after the
infection, and it usually lasts several days to several months. Your belly bloats,
and you will develop a lot of gassiness. Weight loss is common. A vitamin
deficiency often develops, so you may feel tired and notice tingling in your arms
or legs. At times, unfortunately, there are no symptoms whatever to warn you of
your danger.
SPEAKER 1:
How are parasite infections treated?
SPEAKER 2:
Medicines that can kill parasites are now available. A doctor
must prescribe these medicines. Even though the medicines are usually
successful in killing the infection, it can return unless the source of the infection is
also destroyed.
SPEAKER 1:
Talk about the sources of a parasite infection.
SPEAKER 2:
We can become infected either by direct with the parasite, or
by indirect contact.
SPEAKER 1:
Talk about direct contact.
SPEAKER 2:
There are three ways that direct contact with a parasite can
cause infection. The most common way is through person-to-person spread - a
person or pet with the infection touches you, allowing the parasite to spread
directly from their skin to yours. Handling infected waste is the second way the
parasite can spread. Infected waste contains live parasites as long as the
infection lasts, and even months to years after the symptoms have stopped.
Finally, an infected mother can pass the parasite to her unborn baby through her
blood stream.
SPEAKER 1:
What about indirect contact?
SPEAKER 2:
Live parasites can remain on objects such as doorknobs for
long periods of time. When you touch a doorknob that was previously
contaminated by someone with parasites on their skin, those parasites can
transfer to your hands. Another important way parasites can spread by indirect
contact is through contaminated food and water. Fruit and vegetables that have
been grown using contaminated water may have live parasites on their surfaces.
If you eat them without first washing or cooking them, you can become infected.
SPEAKER 1:
So, what can I do to prevent developing a parasitic infection?
SPEAKER 2:
Remember that parasite infections result from either direct or
indirect contact. Wash your hands with soap before eating. Bathe your children
after they play outdoors. Eat only the raw fruit whose skin you can peel. Wash
your vegetables with clean water. If necessary, boil that water to be sure it is
safe. The family who became infected and lost their youngest child to a parasite
infection might have saved themselves from disaster had they followed these
guidelines. Washing food in clean or boiled water removes parasites that may be
present on the food’s surface, and boiling or cooking food kills the parasites that
may be present within the food. Drink only bottled water and drinks when you
travel. Other ways to avoid infection are to never share your toothbrush, comb,
razor, drinking glasses or eating utensils with anyone.
SPEAKER 1:
What else should I know about parasites?
SPEAKER 2:
If you have had an intestinal infection that has been treated,
get retested to be sure the parasites are truly gone. Carefully follow your doctor’s
advice concerning ways you can avoid reinfection. A parasite reinfection can
cause even more serious health problems.
SPEAKER 1:
Health Nuggets is written by Dr. Richard Yukl, a medical
doctor working in the United States. The medical views expressed in this
program are his and may differ for your particular health needs. If you need
medical advice, please consult a medical professional in your area.