Worm welcome: American woman’s nightmare trip to Thailand
A 30 year old American woman, who had just returned from a dream holiday trip across Hawaii, Japan, and Thailand, discovered she was harbouring rare parasitic worms in her brain.
The woman from New England, USA, visited A&E with agonising headaches and a mysterious burning sensation in her feet that slowly crawled up to her arms, only to be sent home with anxiety pills. But a hidden menace was lurking behind her symptoms: the deadly roundworm Angiostrongylus cantonensis, commonly known as the rat lungworm.
The drama unfolded after her three-week jaunt began innocently enough, with a week in bustling Bangkok where she sampled everything but raw dishes.
Her travels then whisked her away to Tokyo for five days, where she dined on sushi, before ending in the sun-soaked beaches of Hawaii, swimming in the ocean and savouring sushi and refreshing salads.
Despite her worsening condition, doctors initially dismissed her pain, deeming it insufficient for hospital admission.
A later investigation revealed the damaging effects of the parasitic invader, which thrives in an alarming life cycle involving rats, snails, and slugs, all working together to deliver the larvae of this brain-altering worm.
In recent years, Hawaii has reported small outbreaks of the worm, raising concerns for tourists worldwide. Unfortunately, the nation has become heaven for roundworms, as rats spread larvae through droppings, which are then absorbed by unsuspecting snails and slugs who end up in our foods, such as uncooked veggies and delicacies like raw fish.
With quick intervention through a 14-day course of steroids, the young woman rallied her strength back, escaping the clutches of this rare but deadly visitor and leaving the hospital good as new.
This comes after medical professionals discovered that these larvae travel towards the brain, causing fiery sensations but usually meeting their demise before reaching adulthood.
The unnamed woman’s encounter reminds us of the parasitic danger lurking beneath the surface of our exotic travel fantasies.
Latest Thailand News
