VietNamNet Bridge – The number of people taking medical examinations for parasitic diseases has increased since last June, says Dinh Xuan Sinh, head of the HCM City Hospital for Tropical Diseases' Viet-Anh Infectious Disease Ward.

Last June the hospital was treating 10-20 people daily, but the figure has shot up to 70.

In 2010, the hospital admitted 8,000 patients for infectious diseases, said Sinh.

According to statistics of the hospital, central localities such as Thua Thien-Hue, Da Nang, Quang Ngai and Binh Dinh have the highest number of patients contaminated with worms in their livers.

Southeast provinces report patients contaminated with eel worm and hookworm.

"Most of the patients catch worms through daily food," said Sinh.

Parasites live everywhere, from food such as fish, frogs, eels and snails to pets such as dogs and cats.

Patient Luu Thanh Dien, 22, from southern Tien Giang Province, had bellyache, headache and high temperature after drinking raw snail wine.

Despite receiving the best treatment available, Dien has been in a coma for 15 months. "If he regains his senses, he still has to spend all his life confined to bed," Sinh said.

He was contaminated with Angiostrongylus cantonensis worms which live on vegetables and snails.

"If people eat the food without cooking, the worms will move to their brain and cause encephalitis," said Sinh.

The only way to prevent the diseases is eating cooked food and ensuring environmental sanitation.

Residents should remember to wash their hands before meals and use clean sources of water, he said.

"These measures may seem very simple but they are vital," he added.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News