According to recent test results, no less than 209 school kids in Bac Ninh were found to be infected with tapeworms, with the children then being rushed to Hanoi for treatment.
Both the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases and the National Institute of Malariology, Parasitology and Entomology (NIMPE) and the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases have received a total of nearly 1,000 children over the last two weeks for testing.
The cause of the infection was suspected to be pork served to students at lunch, although this it yet to be confirmed, VnExpress reports.
To Mai Hoa, Director of the Bac Ninh Health Department, said the province will help with financial aid for those in the area requiring testing for tapeworms.
Treatment of tapeworms is very simple, although without treatment the consequences can be severe. Headaches, memory loss, seizures, paralysis and blindness can all occur as a consequence of the parasite.
A 2014 study found that between 20 and 40 million people in Vietnam are infected with parasitic worms. Consequently, each year Vietnamese lose 15 tons of food and 1.5 million liters of blood to parasites.
[Photo via Wiktionary]
