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Worms infect more poor Americans than thought
Reuters ^ | December 25, 2007 | Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor

Posted on 12/25/2007 10:17:24 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet

Roundworms may infect close to a quarter of inner city black children, tapeworms are the leading cause of seizures among U.S. Hispanics and other parasitic diseases associated with poor countries are also affecting Americans, a U.S. expert said on Tuesday.

Recent studies show many of the poorest Americans living in the United States carry some of the same parasitic infections that affect the poor in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, said Dr. Peter Hotez, a tropical disease expert at George Washington University and editor-in-chief of the Public Library of Science journal PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases.

Writing in the journal, Hotez said these parasitic infections had been ignored by most health experts in the United States.

"I feel strongly that this is such an important health issue and yet because it only affects the poor it has been ignored," Hotez said via e-mail.

He said the United States spent hundreds of millions of dollars to defend against bio-terrorism threats like anthrax or smallpox or avian flu, which were more a theoretical concern than a real threat at present.

"And yet we have a devastating parasitic disease burden among the American poor, right under our nose," Hotez said.

He noted a recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, presented in November, found that almost 14 percent of the U.S. population is infected with Toxocara roundworms, which dogs and cats can pass to people.

"Urban playgrounds in the United States have recently been shown to be a particularly rich source of Toxocara eggs and inner-city children are at high risk of acquiring the infection," Hotez wrote, adding that this might be partly behind the rise in asthma cases in the country. Up to 23 percent of urban black children may be infected, he said.

"Because of its possible links to asthma, it would be important to determine whether covert toxocariasis is a basis for the rise of asthma among inner-city children in the northeastern United States," he added.

"Cysticercosis is another very serious parasitic worm infection ... caused by the tapeworm Taenia solium, that results in seizures and other neurological manifestations," Hotez wrote.

He said up to 2,000 new cases of neurological disease caused by tapeworms are diagnosed every year in the United States. More than 2 percent of adult Latinos may be infected, and with 35 million Hispanics in the United States, this could add up to tens of thousands of cases, Hotez said.

"In the hospitals of Los Angeles, California, neurocysticercosis currently accounts for 10 percent of all seizures presenting to some emergency departments," he wrote.

"We need to begin erasing these horrific health disparities," Hotez wrote in the paper, available online at www.plosntds.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pntd.0000149.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; Government; US: California
KEYWORDS: asthma; blacks; cdc; disease; health; hispanics; illness; immigrantlist; immigration; innercity; medicine; parasites; poverty
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

National Health Care would probably fix this in one day.


21 posted on 12/26/2007 3:43:06 AM PST by BfloGuy (It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker, that we can expect . . .)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

“He noted a recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, presented in November, found that almost 14 percent of the U.S. population is infected with Toxocara roundworms, which dogs and cats can pass to people”

I don’t buy 14%. Thats a huge number of people.


22 posted on 12/26/2007 3:54:14 AM PST by driftdiver
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To: spectre; truthkeeper; processing please hold; antceecee; navymom1; jaredt112; Edgerunner; ...

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If you wish to be added or removed from this ping list, please contact me.

Here's hoping everyone had a wonderful and safe Christmas...

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23 posted on 12/26/2007 4:02:29 AM PST by bcsco ("The American Indians found out what happens when you don't control immigration.")
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To: dbacks

“[Agreed. immediate deportation is the only way.]

You can’t deport 20,000,000 worms.”

Just take away their ability to work and they’ll deport themselves. :)


24 posted on 12/26/2007 4:05:34 AM PST by driftdiver
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To: VeniVidiVici
Easiest way would be to deport them back to their own country.

BTTT

25 posted on 12/26/2007 4:54:04 AM PST by org.whodat (What's the difference between a Democrat and a republican????)
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To: greccogirl

Wow childhood stuff dies hard doesn’t it?
***

You have sent my mind racing...
“Comet... it’s made from gasoline
Comet... it makes your mouth turn green
Comet... it makes you vomit
So get some Comet and vomit today

Beans, beans... etc. etc.


26 posted on 12/26/2007 5:08:29 AM PST by NCLaw441
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
Pure BS. Where to start?

Urban playgrounds in the United States have recently been shown to be a particularly rich source of Toxocara eggs and inner-city children are at high risk of acquiring the infection," Hotez wrote, adding that this might be partly behind the rise in asthma cases in the country.

Toxocara is a genus of roundworms that infests domestic dogs and cats. The prevalence has fallen dramatically with the widespread use of prophylactic anti-helminic treatment, mainly among dogs, but to a lesser extent in cats. Seems to me, if there are fewer worms around and worm eggs cause asthma, that there ought to be fewer not more cases of asthma.

neurocysticercosis currently accounts for 10 percent of all seizures presenting to some emergency departments,

Boy, is this ever a vague statistic. Ten percent on some days at some emergency rooms? This condition is caused by tapeworm larvae that infest swine. Human disease is due to consumption of undercooked pork. Undercooked pork also accounts for another parasitic disease - trichinosis, which has dramatically decreased in the last 25 years. Hmmmm.

27 posted on 12/26/2007 5:23:46 AM PST by CholeraJoe ("At last my arm is complete!" Sweeney Todd)
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To: dbacks
You can’t deport 20,000,000 worms.

Yeah, but don't think for an instance that those worms are not being claimed as dependents on welfare applications!
28 posted on 12/26/2007 5:36:36 AM PST by SpinnerWebb (Islam ... If you can't join them, beat them.)
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To: Misterioso

> We could just deport the worms when we discover them.
Yup, the worms and their food supply.


29 posted on 12/26/2007 5:41:58 AM PST by BuffaloJack (Before the government can give you a dollar it must first take it from another American)
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To: yazd

And it would be interesting to know what percentage of that is illegals who were infected when they came here or passed it on in those wonderful living conditions we hear they live in.


30 posted on 12/26/2007 6:05:31 AM PST by metmom (Welfare was never meant to be a career choice.)
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To: yazd
Up to...may be...could

Yep, straight out of the application for grant lexicon. And then there's the predictable liberal tactic of declaring anything less than carte blanche funding as evidence of malice/prejudice:

"I feel strongly that this is such an important health issue and yet because it only affects the poor it has been ignored," Hotez said via e-mail.

Then straight off the gravy-train template comes the logical fallacy of the either/or card.

He said the United States spent hundreds of millions of dollars to defend against bio-terrorism threats like anthrax or smallpox or avian flu, which were more a theoretical concern than a real threat at present.

Real world translation: "See? See? You're spending money on batteries for the smoke detector against a totally theoretical fire when you've got real Japanese beetles--here right now!--attacking your lawn. My god, man! Where are your priorities?" (Spoken by the Chemlawn man canvassing the neighborhood.)

31 posted on 12/26/2007 6:14:41 AM PST by Eroteme
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To: SpinnerWebb

“Yeah, but don’t think for an instance that those worms are not being claimed as dependents on welfare applications!”

Think of all those democrat votes not being properly counted.


32 posted on 12/26/2007 6:26:13 AM PST by driftdiver
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

It isn’t just the poor though. My high school biology teacher was just featured on Discovery Health’s, Mystery Diagnosis, for having some type of worms.


33 posted on 12/26/2007 6:33:20 AM PST by Calpernia (Hunters Rangers - Raising the Bar of Integrity http://www.barofintegrity.us)
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To: denydenydeny

...Just providing the parasitic diseases that Americans won’t provide....


34 posted on 12/26/2007 7:46:52 AM PST by wbill
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
The worms go in
the worms go out
the worms play pinochle
on your snout
35 posted on 12/26/2007 7:49:12 AM PST by null and void (I've always liked Ron Paul, he is not a like a serial rapist. - rovenstinez)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
Good thing we have the bot flies controlled. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23eimVLAQ2c
36 posted on 12/26/2007 7:53:42 AM PST by Rb ver. 2.0 (Global warming is the new Marxism.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
I would not wish to be judged by a jury of morons.

For myself, I would appreciate all Freepers fully availing themselves of jury duty. I promise to do the same.

37 posted on 12/26/2007 7:55:43 AM PST by laotzu
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To: endthematrix

My family is not poor or dirty and my daughter was infected with pin worms last fall. The nurse says the source was likely some unwashed vegetables. Nobody else in the family became infected but we all had to take the same medicine she did. It was awful for her.


38 posted on 12/26/2007 7:56:42 AM PST by linn37 (phlebotomist on duty,its just a little pinch)
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To: laotzu
Whoa!! That was a twilight-zone moment.

Please disregard post #37.

39 posted on 12/26/2007 7:57:55 AM PST by laotzu
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Anybody out there eating salads? Any imported fruits & veggies? On the advice of a physician friend of mine I take one Vermox pill annually in addition to taking all of the usual hygiene precautions. Yes, many Americans carry parasites. Immigrants are bringing in parasites that had been nearly eradicated, but most have always been here. Prevention is easy and cheap. I buy my Vermox outside the U.S.A. for about $6/pill and it only takes one.


40 posted on 12/26/2007 8:00:09 AM PST by darth
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