On August 15, #Dragon Nematode # landed on Weibo hot search first, causing widespread concern
Recently, a number of netizens found white stripes of thin insects in the waters near Chengdu and Leshan Scenic Area in Sichuan Province, and their bodies are very soft and swim very fast.
It is reported that Dracunculia parasitizes in the human body and can cause dracunculiasis, causing great pain to patients, including hives, fever, dizziness, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
On various online platforms, this kind of video quickly attracted a lot of attention.
Some netizens commented, "Dragon nematode is an invasive species, native to Africa, summer water must pay attention to safety, see unknown creatures do not approach, and report to the relevant departments!" ”
In this regard, the Sichuan Center for Disease Control and Prevention debunked rumors, according to the videos and photos released by the Internet, combined with epidemiology, biological morphology and routine monitoring, etc., do not support the nematodes in the video are "dragon nematodes".
Zhao Li, director of the Chengdu Huaxi Insect Museum, also said that the nematodes in these videos are not "dragon nematodes", but some kind of nematodes parasitic in the insects and enter the water body.
Sichuan Disease Control said that the insect body in the video will not burrow into the human body, and swallowing the sword flea, insects, fish, snails and other infective larvae containing infectious larvae is the key to infection. What is guinea worm disease?
Guinea worm, also known as guinea worm, is an adult worm that parasitizes humans and a variety of mammalian tissues, causing guinea worm disease. The disease is a zoonotic disease that has been widely spread in tropical and subtropical regions such as Africa and India. Globally, there will be only 14 human cases of Dracunculia elegans infection in 2021, seven of which will be in Chad, Africa. Only 1 case has been reported on the mainland so far (1995).
The incubation period of this worm is 10-14 months, and after about a year of infection, painful and painful blisters appear, and in 90% of cases blisters appear on the calves. Guinea worm disease is rarely fatal, but infected people lose their physical function for months.
How is it spread?
According to the website of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, guinea worm disease is transmitted by drinking non-flowing water contaminated with small water fleas that carry infectious Guinea worm larvae.
How to prevent it?
According to the WHO website, there is neither a vaccine to prevent the disease nor drugs to treat patients, but the disease can be prevented.
Zhao Li suggested that generally do not drink water in the natural environment, and nematodes generally enter the human body through drinking water. There is no problem with detoxified water, such as tap water. At the same time, do not drink the stream that looks clearer. In the water body in the natural environment, it may be the eggs or larvae of the insect, which are difficult to detect with the naked eye.
(Spring City Evening News)