Why, only by washing berries, vegetables and greens, it is possible to protect yourself from infection with two parasites found in our region – worms and echinococcus, explains infectologist Sniedze Laivacuma, while Apotheka pharmacist Līga Cīrule tells which groups of people should be especially careful.
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Parasite eggs are waiting for the right moment
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Infectologist Sniedze Laivacuma says that the life cycle of a parasite begins when the worm egg enters the soil, where it matures and waits for the moment when a person lifts an egg with a fruit or vegetable, eats it, enters the body, there will hatch a larva from which to grow 10-40 cm long parasite, which mostly resides in the small intestine. The presence of worms in the body is not always so easy to diagnose and the parasite can cause symptoms that may just as well be related to other diseases – bloating, sometimes pain, there may be more fluid stools and constipation, nausea, increased tiredness, weakness, sometimes – Allergic signs such as itchy skin. It is relatively rare, but if the parasite enters the lungs at the end of its life cycle, then in the case of worms, the symptom may even be cough, shortness of breath.
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“To prevent infection, it is important to wash the onions, dill and berries, even if this garden gift has grown in the backyard garden.
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The only exception could be if you are convinced that the small garden has shallow groundwater and there is no possibility of human fecal particles entering the sewage water – then you should theoretically not worry about getting infected with cermets, ”says the infectologist.
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Unwanted forest gift – echinococcus
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Most of the parasites that can be infected here in Latvia are not life-threatening, but they can still cause a lot of unpleasant surprises. This is the kind of unwanted “subtenant” echinococcus, a parasite that lives in the intestinal tract of predators and whose eggs can be found anywhere in nature where predators move, so wild berries and mushrooms need to be washed especially carefully. “Echinococcus reaches the target organ with the blood, most often – the liver, encapsulates, forms cysts, which are often considered in liver examinations for liver tumors, without realizing that it is a parasite. Recently, an average of 20 patients have been diagnosed with echinococcosis every year, but in the first months of this year, I have had a new echinococcosis patient every month.
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The parasite is usually found by accident – a person has had a reason to perform an ultrasonography, during which a strange formation is seen in an organ, which sometimes needs to be removed surgically, but other times is treated with a long course of medication. ”
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Take special care with people with weaker immune systems
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“Special precautions and preventive measures should be taken in people with weaker immune systems, as well as in pregnant women and the elderly, as infection with parasites can cause more severe symptoms in these groups. Children who play in sandboxes are also at risk because the soil in them may be contaminated. Pet owners, on the other hand, must not forget about regular deworming of animals, performing this procedure at least once a year, ”warns pharmacist Līga Cīrule.
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Doctor’s advice for your safety:
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- If the berries are cooked in the jam, the parasite’s eggs will die during the heat treatment. No viable micro-organism is retained when the product is heated or boiled for 30 minutes.
- A fenced garden area could be a solution to reduce the possibility of an animal carrying echinococcus eggs entering it. However, for double safety, rinsing berries and vegetables before use will certainly not be detrimental.
- When eating mushrooms, the risk of becoming infected with echinococcus is low, because mushrooms are mostly consumed in a cooked way.
- If you pick berries from the bushes or eat fruit that has been picked from a tree and has not fallen to the ground, there is no risk of infection with parasites. The closer the garden or forest is growing to the soil, the higher the risk.
- To avoid infection with echinococcus, do not allow the pet to lick its face, mouth, especially if the animal is allowed to move freely and does not live only in the house.
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