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Worms infect more poor Americans than thought

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Roundworms may infect close to a quarter of inner city black children, tapeworms are the leading cause of seizures among U.S. Hispanics and other parasitic diseases associated with poor countries are also affecting Americans, a U.S. expert said on Tuesday.
Recent studies show many of the poorest Americans living in the United States carry some of the same parasitic infections that affect the poor in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, said Dr. Peter Hotez, a tropical disease expert at George Washington University and editor-in-chief of the Public Library of Science journal PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases.
Writing in the journal, Hotez said these parasitic infections had been ignored by most health experts in the United States.
"I feel strongly that this is such an important health issue and yet because it only affects the poor it has been ignored," Hotez said via e-mail.
He said the United States spent hundreds of millions of dollars to defend against bio-terrorism threats like anthrax or smallpox or avian flu, which were more a theoretical concern than a real threat at present.
"And yet we have a devastating parasitic disease burden among the American poor, right under our nose," Hotez said.
He noted a recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, presented in November, found that almost 14 percent of the U.S. population is infected with Toxocara roundworms, which dogs and cats can pass to people.
"Urban playgrounds in the United States have recently been shown to be a particularly rich source of Toxocara eggs and inner-city children are at high risk of acquiring the infection," Hotez wrote, adding that this might be partly behind the rise in asthma cases in the country. Up to 23 percent of urban black children may be infected, he said.
"Because of its possible links to asthma, it would be important to determine whether covert toxocariasis is a basis for the rise of asthma among inner-city children in the northeastern United States," he added.
"Cysticercosis is another very serious parasitic worm infection ... caused by the tapeworm Taenia solium, that results in seizures and other neurological manifestations," Hotez wrote.
He said up to 2,000 new cases of neurological disease caused by tapeworms are diagnosed every year in the United States. More than 2 percent of adult Latinos may be infected, and with 35 million Hispanics in the United States, this could add up to tens of thousands of cases, Hotez said.
"In the hospitals of Los Angeles, California, neurocysticercosis currently accounts for 10 percent of all seizures presenting to some emergency departments," he wrote.
"We need to begin erasing these horrific health disparities," Hotez wrote in the paper, available online at www.plosntds.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pntd.0000149.
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSN25266569...hNews&rpc=22&sp=true


Have fun swimming and playing at Joe Wheeler State Park.
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You aren't making your point, CF. Apparently a large amount of "native" Americans are also infected with parasites. From your article I see that 20% of Black children are infects vs. 2% of Hispanic children. Of the 2% there's no distinction made between American citizens of Hispanic origin and illegal alien Hispanics.

You do know, I suppose, that people of Hispanic origins were in the United States many, many years before people of European descent arrived?

I figure the percentages are higher. And it's not just black, poor kids. Ask any pediatrician. And head lice is a parasite.
quote:
Originally posted by vick13:
You aren't making your point, CF. Apparently a large amount of "native" Americans are also infected with parasites. From your article I see that 20% of Black children are infects vs. 2% of Hispanic children. Of the 2% there's no distinction made between American citizens of Hispanic origin and illegal alien Hispanics.

You do know, I suppose, that people of Hispanic origins were in the United States many, many years before people of European descent arrived?

I figure the percentages are higher. And it's not just black, poor kids. Ask any pediatrician. And head lice is a parasite.


Look who your talking to..you can expect topic like this from CP every week.
Why of course you know more Vick. Lets see, yhis guy in the article is...

"Dr. Peter Hotez, a tropical disease expert at George Washington University and editor-in-chief of the Public Library of Science journal PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases."


And you are Vick...job hopping Vick...last job complaining becase employer is hiring convicts to work along with you. Tells me a lot about your job right there.
Vick13,

Do you think that the wealthiest and healthiest are the majority of immigrants invading our country? When Dr. Hotez uses percentages it literally means millions in population. Why did Dr. Hoetz refer to poor countries? What type of patients to you suppose they are treating in L.A.? IMO..we should crack doiwn and not let these disesed people keep coming here unchecked.



WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Roundworms may infect close to a quarter of inner city black children, tapeworms are the leading cause of seizures among U.S. Hispanics and other parasitic diseases associated with poor countries are also affecting Americans, a U.S. expert said on Tuesday.

"In the hospitals of Los Angeles, California, neurocysticercosis currently accounts for 10 percent of all seizures presenting to some emergency departments," he wrote.
"We need to begin erasing these horrific health disparities," Hotez wrote in the paper.
European descent? Hispanics are listed as white in this country, because of their European origin.
quote:
Originally posted by vick13:
You aren't making your point, CF. Apparently a large amount of "native" Americans are also infected with parasites. From your article I see that 20% of Black children are infects vs. 2% of Hispanic children. Of the 2% there's no distinction made between American citizens of Hispanic origin and illegal alien Hispanics.

You do know, I suppose, that people of Hispanic origins were in the United States many, many years before people of European descent arrived?

I figure the percentages are higher. And it's not just black, poor kids. Ask any pediatrician. And head lice is a parasite.
i'll just mention, that it's difficult to erradicate a problem that isn't reported..we had a certain race come into the ER frequently, complaining of (what turned out to be) parasites..they'd had them for over a year, but was finally getting tired of dealing with the itching..apparently, it was a common ailment in their country, where it was usually tolerated, not treated..
Parasitic infection is common where water is not treated effectively and where the sewage is allowed to mingle with the livestock and potable water supplies. There was a huge scandal after the birth of the State of Israel where children were treated for ringworm of the scalp by radiation -- most of them poor Mizrahi refugee children -- and rendered sterile, burned severely, etc. by the treatment.

The water in the Nile is unsafe for swimming. The wate in much of the coast of the Atlantic is as well, truth be told. Once while summering at Southampton, Long Island, I came down with both pink eye and a severe ear infection. I went to the doctor, and he asked me one question: "Did you swim at West Hampton Beach last week?" "No, one beach down, at Quogue," I answered, "Why?"

The answer, the sewer plant in Brookly had a problem and released millions of untreated raw sewage onto the south shore of Long Island.

The next summer I was on Fire Island. Again, the South Shore of Long Island, some of the priciest beach property in the world. We awoke to find our boardwalk sealed with yellow caution tape and the red flags flying at the ocean side of the island: human body parts and hypoderics from NJ had washed up onto the shore. Well, we decided to go to my house and the rocky beach on the north shore, actually Great Peconic Bay after that!

So, if I get sick from swimming at Southampton, a hop skip and jump from Jackie Kennedy's house, and then risk my health on an island that you can't touch for a lot for under $1G, then what is one to expect in the "Third World"?

Ethnicity has nothing to do with public health, per se. Nothing at all. Nor socio-economic conditions.
quote:
Originally posted by gibby1952:
European descent? Hispanics are listed as white in this country, because of their European origin.
quote:
Originally posted by vick13:
You aren't making your point, CF. Apparently a large amount of "native" Americans are also infected with parasites. From your article I see that 20% of Black children are infects vs. 2% of Hispanic children. Of the 2% there's no distinction made between American citizens of Hispanic origin and illegal alien Hispanics.

You do know, I suppose, that people of Hispanic origins were in the United States many, many years before people of European descent arrived?

I figure the percentages are higher. And it's not just black, poor kids. Ask any pediatrician. And head lice is a parasite.


Just FYI, only 15% of Mexicans are of European origin. The rest are various degrees of Indians--these are the ones who immigrate here.
quote:
Originally posted by Invex:
Why of course you know more Vick. Lets see, yhis guy in the article is...

"Dr. Peter Hotez, a tropical disease expert at George Washington University and editor-in-chief of the Public Library of Science journal PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases."


And you are Vick...job hopping Vick...last job complaining becase employer is hiring convicts to work along with you. Tells me a lot about your job right there.


Well, there wasn't much else for them--they were over qualified to be corrections officers.
quote:
Posted 26 December 2007 09:02 AM Hide Post
Vick13,

Do you think that the wealthiest and healthiest are the majority of immigrants invading our country? When Dr. Hotez uses percentages it literally means millions in population. Why did Dr. Hoetz refer to poor countries? What type of patients to you suppose they are treating in L.A.? IMO..we should crack doiwn and not let these disesed people keep coming here unchecked



Do you think the wealthiest Irishmen/Scotsmen/Polish or Germans were the people who immigrated here in masses?
quote:
Originally posted by FirenzeVeritas:
quote:
Originally posted by gibby1952:
European descent? Hispanics are listed as white in this country, because of their European origin.
quote:
Originally posted by vick13:
You aren't making your point, CF. Apparently a large amount of "native" Americans are also infected with parasites. From your article I see that 20% of Black children are infects vs. 2% of Hispanic children. Of the 2% there's no distinction made between American citizens of Hispanic origin and illegal alien Hispanics.

You do know, I suppose, that people of Hispanic origins were in the United States many, many years before people of European descent arrived?

I figure the percentages are higher. And it's not just black, poor kids. Ask any pediatrician. And head lice is a parasite.


Just FYI, only 15% of Mexicans are of European origin. The rest are various degrees of Indians--these are the ones who immigrate here.


They are listed by race as white just like the four on ADPS wanted list,along with Joe Jones.
Alabama Dept. of Public Safety
Name: Vincente Soto Race: White Gender: Male
Name: Horacia Mena Race: White Gender: Male
Name: Victor Martinez Race: White Gender: Male
Name: Joseph Jones Race: White Gender: Male
Name: Juan Martinez Race: White Gender: Male

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