why are we humans not subject to regular deworming?
In: Biology
Because humans in a large part of the world do not regularly get worms.
You can get intestinal worms from consuming eggs or live worms. They can be in undercooked meat, contaminated water, soil, feces, etc.
Humans in general do not just drink and eat stuff we find in nature that could be contaminated. We clean food and cook lots of it. We do our needs in a dedicated location so we are not exposed to feces. We also wash ourselves in a way that other animals do not.
It is children who are at risk because they put stuff in their mouths like dirt that adults don’t.
The result is in large part developed world intestinal worms are quite rare.
It does not mean it is not something that is recommended for humans at all. WHO do recommend it for children where soil-transmitted helminth (a type of worm) infections are common. Here is a map of where it is common https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK525254/figure/pt3.ch13.sec3.map1/
https://www.who.int/tools/elena/interventions/deworming
Latest Answers