Do you know that every 1 in 10 persons suffers from skin worm (cutaneous filariasis)?
What is Filariasis? According to Wikipedia, Filariasis is a parasitic disease
caused by an infection with roundworms of the Filarioidea type. These
roundworms are spread by blood-feeding black flies and mosquitoes. This disease
belongs to the group of diseases called helminthiases.
The boil kept growing bigger and nothing seems to be working for it. Agnes had applied penicillin, Shea butter, palm oil and every other thing she was told to use. Painkillers won't last for more than 30 minutes before the boil starts throbbing again, she was fed up.
When Agnes showed it to me, I wondered the type of boil that would last for a week without getting soft and growing bigger, the boil had two deep holes on it instead of one. I became scared for her.
I applied palm oil on the boil and I noticed how it quickly disappeared into the hole, I looked closer to be sure. I added more drops and the oil kept going in. I told her to stay still and I pressed the boil, she screamed. I saw something white move inside the boil, it looked like a worm. I looked closer and poured the oil, it was then I became sure that it was a worm.
I took her to a friend (Bose) who is a doctor, Bose told us that it is a parasitic skin worm and the condition is called Cutaneous Filariasis. She said most of the worms that enter the skin are found in the soil. Sometimes, organisms lay eggs on clothes and when they come in contact with the skin they enter the skin and become larvae.
Bose told Agnes to thank me for advising her to see a doctor. She said if Agnes had not been here, the worm will find its way into the blood stream and pose a bigger problem.
The doctor gave us an anti parasitic drug (Diethylcarbamazine) and a pain killer. When we got home, I was still not satisfied with the worm living there and I decided to remove it. She was scared at first but I promised to be gentle.
I added few drops of oil on the boil and I pressed it till the head of the worm came out, I used a pin to gently pull it out. The worm was so big, it had been feeding on my friend for the past one week.
How To Prevent Skin Worm (Cutaneous Filariasis)
1. Never leave your clothes outside after sunset till the next day. If at all your cloth sleeps outside, iron it before you wear.
2. Never wear clothes that are not properly dried especially when you spread them outside.
3. When your clothes fall into the dirt, rinse it properly or iron it to kill any form of soil microorganism that may have found their way into the clothes.
4. Make sure you shake your clothes vigorously before you take them in, some insects may be hiding in them.
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