Public Health and Prevention Strategies
Cysticercosis is considered as “tools-ready disease” according to WHO. International Task Force for Disease Eradication in 1992 reported that cysticercosis is potentially eradicable. It is feasible because there are no animal reservoirs besides humans and pigs. The only source of T. solium infection for pigs is from humans, a definite host. Theoretically, breaking the life cycle seems easy by doing intervention strategies from various stages in the life cycle.
For example,
- Massive chemotherapy of infected individuals, improving sanitation, and educating people are all major ways to discontinue the cycle at Step 1, in which eggs from human feces are transmitted to other humans and/or pigs.
- Cooking of pork or freezing it and inspecting meat are effective means to cease the life cycle at Step 3.
- The management of pigs by treating them or vaccinating them is another possibility to intervene Step 4 of the life cycle.
- The separation of pigs from human faeces by confining them in enclosed piggeries. In Western European countries post World War 2 the pig industry developed rapidly and most pigs were housed. This was the main reason for pig cysticercosis largely being eliminated from the region. This of course is not a quick answer to the problem in developing countries.
Read more about this topic: Cysticercosis
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