Worm removed from woman's brain

A news report at the link below tells of a 37-year-old woman (pictured) who was thought to have a brain tumor. During surgery the doctor found something entirely different: a parasitic worm.

Rosemary Alvarez, who underwent the procedure last summer after experiencing difficulty swallowing and numbness in her left arm, had a tapeworm called Taenia solium inside her head.

It turns out Alvarez likely contracted the tapeworm at some point by eating food tainted with the feces of a person infected with the parasite. “It wasn't that she had poor hygiene, she was just a victim,” said neurosurgeon Peter Nakaji, who ended up extracting the worm.

To help avoid becoming infected with tapeworms one should wash hands often and avoid eating contaminated food - especially undercooked pork.

Link