Hamartia Antidote
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https://www.aol.com/article/news/20...have-caused-parasitic-worm-epidemic/23281306/
North Korea has a parasite problem and Kim Jong Un may be responsible.
According to Reuters, the North Korean soldier who defected by crossing the heavily fortified demilitarized zone into South Korea, had "an enormous number" of parasitic worms in his body, with one measuring 11-inches in length.
The worms were discovered by doctors as they fight to save the man's life. He was shot five times by his comrades as he fled.
"In my over 20 year-long career as a surgeon, I have only seen something like this in a textbook," said the surgeon treating the solider.
Doctors say the rate of parasitic infection and number of parasites should be low for the soldier's age, who's in his mid-20s. So what's going on?
According to Reuters, because chemical fertilizer is so hard to come by, in 2014, Kim Jong Un personally urged farmers to use human and livestock feces for their crops.
However, lack of livestock has made animal waste hard to come by.
"They need fertilizer to continue farming. However, due to the lack of fertilizer, North Koreans fertilize their fields with human excrement. And this becomes an immediate cause of the parasitic infection."
Ascaris lumbricoides parasitic worm hotspots (http://ascaris-pbl14.blogspot.com/2010/12/epidemiology-of-ascaris-lumbricoides.html)
http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/diseases-risks/diseases/ascariasis/en/
Water sanitation hygiene
Water related diseases
Ascariasis
The disease and how it affects people
Ascariasis is an infection of the small intestine caused by Ascaris lumbricoides, a large roundworm. The eggs of the worm are found in soil contaminated by human faeces or in uncooked food contaminated by soil containing eggs of the worm. A person becomes infected after accidentally swallowing the eggs. The eggs hatch into larvae within the person's intestine. The larvae penetrate the intestine wall and reach the lungs through the blood stream. They eventually get back to the throat and are swallowed.
In the intestines, the larvae develop into adult worms. The female adult worm which can grow to over 30cm in length, lays eggs that are then passed into the faeces. If soil is polluted with human or animal faeces containing eggs the cycle begins again. Eggs develop in the soil and become infective after 2-3 weeks, but can remain infective for several months or years.
Children are infected more often than adults, the most common age group being 3-8 years. The infection is likely to be more serious if nutrition is poor. They often become infected after putting their hands to their mouths after playing in contaminated soil. Eating uncooked food grown in contaminated soil or irrigated with inadequately treated wastewater is another frequent avenue of infection.
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