Parasitic Diseases

Naegleriasis is a parasitic infection caused by the free-living unicellular eukaryote Naegleria fowleri with a fatality rate of 98.5 percent. It's a brain-eating amoeba, attacking the nervous system and brain via the nose. ¹⁾

Naegleria fowleri can be found in warm freshwaters, like ponds, lakes, rivers, etc. As prevention, children and young adults should use nose clips or avoid warm freshwater (chlorinated swimming pools or saltwater are safe).²⁾

The hot climate is a paradise for a parasitic worm called filaria. Its other name is Bankroft's wushereria, and the disease it causes is called elephantiasis. When parasites grow, they clog these vessels, and the lymph that drains from the legs encounters an obstruction. Swelling occurs, visible as a great swelling of the leg or scrotum in men. In elephantiasis, the lower limbs and external genital organs assume gigantic proportions and the skin thickens, becoming puffy, dry, and wrinkled. ³⁾

The loa loa attacks humans, and the vectors of its larvae are blind flies that live along rivers. When the insects suck blood from humans, the larvae burrow through the skin and enter blood vessels. As they wander in, they plug smaller capillaries and cause swelling. Adults penetrate all over the body, possibly even entering the eye. Sometimes they become visible under the conjunctiva, causing pain, itching and tearing, and can even lead to vision loss. ⁴⁾

Dracunculiasis is a parasitic disease caused by the hypodermic threadworm. Infection in humans occurs after ingestion of water containing nematodes infected with the larvae of the hypodermic threadworm. Initially, the disease is asymptomatic. After about a year, the female parasite forms a blister on the skin, usually on the lower limb, which causes a painful burning sensation in the affected person. Over the next few weeks, the parasite exits through the skin. During this period, walking or working may cause problems. It was thought that only humans could become infected with subcutaneous threadworm, but in 2012, the parasite was found in dogs as well. ⁵⁾