Good sanitation practices are a must to significantly reduce the risk of Ascaris, one of the most common worm infections in India

Good sanitation practices are a must to significantly reduce the risk of Ascaris, one of the most common worm infections in India

Extra precautions must be taken during the monsoon season that provides ideal breeding environment for the infectious roundworms New Delhi, June 10, 2016: Ascariasis is one of the most common helminthic human infections in India. It is estimated that more than one billion people are infected with the disease globally. A disease caused by the parasitic roundworm Ascaris lumbricoides, the incidence of Ascariasis is extremely high in India due to its wet-tropical climate that makes for an ideal breeding ground for the parasite. The prevalence of Ascariasis is greatest in areas where suboptimal sanitation practices lead to increased contamination of soil and water. The majority of individuals with Ascariasis live in Asia (73 percent), Africa (12 percent) and South America (8 percent), where the infection prevalence rates can be as high as 95 percent. While Ascariasis occurs among all age groups, it is most common in children 2 to 10 years old, and the prevalence of infection decreases over the age of 15 years. Infections tend to cluster in families, and worm burden correlates with the number of people living in a home. The parasitic infection in more than 85% of cases has no symptoms, especially if the number of worms is small. Symptoms increase with the number of worms present and may include shortness of breath and fever at the beginning of the disease. These may be followed by symptoms of abdominal swelling, abdominal pain and diarrhea. Infection with the roundworm occurs by eating food or drink contaminated with Ascaris eggs from feces of the infected individual. The eggs hatch in the intestines, burrow through the gut wall, and migrate to the lungs via the blood. The larvae mature in the alveoli and pass up the trachea, where they are coughed up and subsequently swallowed. The larvae then pass through the stomach for a second time into the intestine where they become adult worms. According to Padma Shri Awardee, Dr KK Aggarwal, President Heart Care Foundation of India & Honorary Secretary General Indian Medical Association, “The diagnosis of Ascariasis is usually established via stool microscopy. In regions where Ascaris worms are abundant in soil, prevention of re-infection is extremely difficult. Good and healthy sanitation practices including improving access to toilets, proper disposal of feces, educating people about effective hand washing techniques can go a long way in the prevention of the disease.“ Anthelminthic therapy is warranted for the intestinal, biliary and pancreatic disease. In general, anthelminthic therapy should not be administered at the time of pulmonary symptoms because inflammation associated with dying organisms may cause more harm than symptoms associated with larval migration. Targeted treatment for individuals with symptomatic infection helps reduce the morbidity of infection but does not have a substantial effect on transmission.