Holidays! You're already looking forward to all the delicious things you'll eat while travelling, but wait ... Can you just eat anything? "There are some foods that you need to be a bit careful with.” Professor Sarah Gabriel tells us how to avoid taking an extra passenger back home.
In short
- Food-borne parasites are everywhere, including in Belgium
- The hog tapeworm has the biggest effect on your health
- Prevention is very important: wash your hands and cook it, boil it, peel it or forget it
Professor Gabriel, what parasites can you encounter in your food while travelling?
Sarah: "Parasites can be found everywhere: for example, the fox and cattle tapeworm in our regions, Trichinella in the far North and Trematodes in raw fish in Asia. Anyway, you have to be careful everywhere because we cannot rule out certain destinations being parasite-free.
An important parasite to consider is the hog tapeworm. On a global level, it has the biggest impact. If you travel in the EU, you don't have to worry about it. Especially in the Global South though, we see that this parasite can cause serious health problems. In Sub-Saharan Africa, for example, this infection is responsible for a large proportion of epilepsy cases in humans."
What happens if you get infected with pig tapeworm?
"When infected after consuming contaminated meat, you get a long tapeworm in your intestines that excretes eggs. If you swallow these eggs, they develop into larvae that can settle in your body. They prefer to stay in our brains and there they can cause epileptic seizures. The risk is particularly high in rural areas of countries like Tanzania, but infected meat can also make its way into urban areas."
This is mostly about eating meat. As a vegetarian, are you safe?
"Unfortunately not. Vegetarians can also become infected with parasites through vegetables, fruit, water or contaminated surfaces. Parasites can have different stages of development found in the environment, not just in meat or fish."
Do you advise people against eating certain things when travelling?
"Yes, especially in the Global South, I advise people against eating pork. Other than that, definitely don't eat raw meat or raw fish. Preferably eat cooked vegetables and drink water from bottles, not from the tap. Also be careful with fruit. Sometimes, after a meal, you get fruit that has already been cut into pieces. Actually, it's better to leave that too.
My advice is to go buy a piece of fruit and prepare it yourself. Wash it with clean water, bottled water if necessary. Cut it with a clean knife and clean hands. That way you can still enjoy that delicious fruit in a safe way. Because that is very important: enjoy it. Your immune system can take a hit."
But prevention is still better than cure. What can you do to protect yourself?
"Antibiotics or vaccinations do not help against parasites. So you really have to do prevention. General hygiene is very important. Wash your hands before you eat, not only before lunch or dinner, but also when you eat a piece of fruit or a snack. We still do this far too little.
For the rest, the general advice applies: cook it, boil it, peel it or forget it. (laughs) For meat and fish you can also add freeze it and for fruit and vegetables, wash it, but make sure it is with clean water. Also, don't just pet stray dogs while travelling. That's not a good idea at all for diseases like rabies, but neither is it for parasites. Definitely wash your hands well after touching an animal."
Suppose you do get sick after a trip, what should you do?
"If you develop symptoms such as abdominal pain, diarrhoea, muscle pain or fever, ... see a doctor. Mention that you have been abroad so they can consider whether you have contracted a parasitic infection. You can also consider a visit to a tropical medicine department, such as at UZGent or the Institute of Tropical Medicine."
Professor Sarah Gabriel has been fascinated by parasites for 24 years. As a parasitologist at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, she researches food- and water-borne parasites. Her work focuses on understanding the life cycles of parasites, their epidemiology, and the ways they can infect humans and animals. In Africa, she has been researching Cysticercosis, a serious disease caused by the pig tapeworm, for many years.
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