Recently, a man in the United States discovered a 1.6m tapeworm hanging from his rear end. The patient had eaten sushi and sashimi almost daily and his doctor shared that is most likely how he came to host the parasite.
How common are such gut parasites in Singapore?
Associate Professor Hsu Li Yang, Programme Leader (Antimicrobial Resistance), shared that such infestations are quite rare here, saying that he had heard of at least two such cases in Singapore last year. However, he added that this number may not be accurate as the data is not recorded and people infested may not show symptoms.
A/Prof Hsu also recounted a case in 2016 where a man who did not present with any symptoms, was infested with a tapeworm that was 1.5 times his height.
Media Coverage:
- askST: Are parasites common in raw food in Singapore?, The Straits Times, 27 January 2018
- 2.8m-long tapeworm found in Singapore patient who had no symptoms, The Straits Times, 28 January 2018
(Header image from The Straits Times; Photo from Singapore General Hospital’s Department of Microbiology)