11-year-old in Shanghai has 8cm parasite removed from brain

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11-year-old in Shanghai has 8cm parasite removed from brain

Staff Reporter
2014-11-28

The sparganosis removed from the 11-year-old boy. (Internet photo)

Doctors have recently removed an 8cm parasite from the brain of an boy, reported Shanghai-based eastday.com outlet.

On Nov. 12, the boy was sent to Shanghai's Xinhua hospital after a sudden seizure. After diagnosis on Nov. 19, surgeons removed an 8cm white-color parasite found to be sparganosis from his left brain.

The parasite is commonly seen on wild frogs and snakes. According to the boy's parents, the boy has a taste for street food, BBQ, seafood and eels. He has also eaten snake.

Earlier this month, doctors in Guangdong removed a 14cm sparganosis from the brain of a 41-year-old man,who often drinks directly from rivers or mountain springs. The parasite was believed to have lived in his brain for two years.

A surgeon warned against drinking unsanitized water and eating raw or half-cooked meat, as parasites are frequently found there. The parasite can enter human blood circulation through the digestive tract or one's skin. It could cause severe damage to one's brain once arriving in the brain tissue.