Parasite conditions

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Trichomoniasis

By Sama Mohamed

Key facts Trichomoniasis is a sexually transmitted infection caused by a parasite. It can be passed on during unprotected sex or from sharing damp towels. Symptoms include vaginal or penile discharge and pain urinating. Trichomoniasis is treated with antibiotics. All recent sexual partners should receive treatment. What is trichomoniasis? Trichomoniasis is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by a parasite called trichomonas vaginalis. In Australia, it is more common in people from regional and remote areas and less common in urban areas. Trichomoniasis can affect females and males. How can I catch trichomoniasis? You usually catch trichomoniasis during unprotected vaginal sex

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#Parasite conditions #T

Toxoplasmosis

By Sama Mohamed

What is toxoplasmosis? Toxoplasmosis is a very common disease caused by a parasite. You can have toxoplasmosis and have no symptoms. If you’re pregnant, it can harm your baby. What are the symptoms of toxoplasmosis? You can have toxoplasmosis and have no symptoms. You might feel like you have the flu, with fever, swollen glands, headaches, fatigue or muscle pains. It can last for months. Some people get seriously ill with it. It can affect their eyes, brain or other organs. If it affects your eyes, you might notice your vision is blurry or that your eyes are red, sore or watering. If have

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#Parasite conditions #T

Tick bites

By Sama Mohamed

Key facts Ticks are parasites that feed on human and animal blood. Tick bites are usually harmless, but sometimes they can cause an allergic reaction or serious illness. If you aren’t allergic to tick bites, you should kill the tick as soon as possible with an ether-containing product and allow it to drop off by itself. You should not squeeze, agitate or forcibly remove the tick. If you allergic to tick bites, you should seek medical attention urgently after a tick bite. What are ticks? Ticks are parasites that feed on human and animal blood. A tick bite is usually

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#Parasite conditions #T

Threadworms (pinworms)

By Sama Mohamed

Key facts Threadworms are tiny white worms that can live in your intestines. They are most common in children, and cause itching around the anal area. You can catch threadworm if you get worm eggs on your hands and put your hands in your mouth. You can treat threadworm with a single dose of medicine available over-the-counter from the pharmacy. To prevent the spread of threadworm, treat the whole family at the same time and encourage good hygiene. What are threadworms? Threadworms, also called pinworms, are tiny parasites that grow to about 1cm in length and look like tiny pieces

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Tapeworm

By Sama Mohamed

Key facts Tapeworms (taeniasis) are a type of parasite that live in the intestines of animals.   Humans can become infected by eating or drinking tapeworm eggs or larvae (immature tapeworms) in contaminated meat or water. People with tapeworm infection often have no symptoms, but if you do have symptoms, they will depend on the type of tapeworm you have and where it is in your body. Tapeworm infection can be diagnosed with a stool (poo) sample and/or a blood test. Tapeworm infection is usually treated with medicine. What is worm infection in humans? Many types of worm can cause

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#P #Parasite conditions

Primary amoebic meningoencephalitis

By Sama Mohamed

What is primary amoebic meningoencephalitis? Primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), also called amoebic meningitis, is a serious illness. It causes inflammation of the brain. An amoeba (Naegleria fowleri) causes PAM. The amoebas live in warm, fresh water and soil. Infection often happens during water-based recreational activities. Although many people have contact with the amoebas, only a small number of people develop PAM. What are the symptoms of primary amoebic meningoencephalitis? The symptoms of PAM are the same symptoms as those for meningitis. The first symptoms are: headache high fever nausea (feeling sick) vomiting These symptoms start about 5 days after infection. Later symptoms are: neck

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#kid's health #Parasite conditions #School exclusion periods

Scabies

By Sama Mohamed

Scabies What is scabies? Scabies is a very itchy skin condition caused by a tiny mite (bug). Scabies is contagious and spreads quickly. If you have scabies, the whole family may need to be treated. What are the symptoms of scabies? Scabies causes intense itching and sometimes a rash. It looks like tiny red lumps and threadlike tracks on the skin. The rash is due to an allergic reaction to the mite. The scabies mite prefers to burrow and lay its eggs in skin that is soft and protected. So common areas to get scabies are the wrists, between the

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Lice (crabs)

By Sama Mohamed

What are pubic lice? Pubic lice (also known as crabs or Pthirus pubis) are tiny insects that live in coarse body hair including pubic hair, armpit hair, beards, chest hair, eyelashes, and eyebrows. They do not live on your head. The female lice lay eggs (also known as nits) that are glued to the hair shaft. The eggs are smaller than the size of a pin head and difficult to see. They hatch after 6 to 10 days leaving behind empty egg sacs. The empty egg sacs look like white or grey oval dots on the hair. How do you

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#H #Hair problems #kid's health #Parasite conditions #School exclusion periods

Head lice

By Sama Mohamed

beginning of content   What are head lice? Head lice are tiny wingless insects about the size of a sesame seed that live in the hair of humans and animals where they feed on blood by biting the skin. Head lice commonly affect children but adults can also have lice. What are the symptoms of head lice? Lice often cause itching of the skin. Bites can cause the skin to become red and irritated, which can be made worse by scratching. You can see the lice and nits (eggs) if you look closely at your head and scalp. Nits look

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#G #Malabsorption syndromes #Parasite conditions

Giardiasis (giardia)

By Sama Mohamed

Key facts Giardiasis is an infection of the small intestine, spread by hand to mouth contact with the giardia parasite from infected water or faeces. You may have no symptoms, but some people can have diarrhoea, stomach cramps and nausea that may last for months. If you have giardiasis, you should drink plenty of water. You may need to take antibiotics. You can prevent giardiasis by practicing good hygiene and boiling untreated water before drinking, for example if you travel to countries with poor water quality. What is giardiasis? Giardiasis is an infection of the small intestine caused by a

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Cryptosporidiosis

By Sama Mohamed

Key facts Cryptosporidiosis is a bowel infection caused by a parasite. You can catch it from infected people or animals, or from contaminated food or water, including swimming pools. It usually gets better by itself, but it can cause dehydration. It can be dangerous for people with a weak immune system. Hand washing and good hygiene can prevent it from spreading. What is cryptosporidiosis? Cryptosporidiosis (sometimes called ‘crypto’) is a bowel infection. It is caused by a parasite called cryptosporidium. This parasite can infect humans and animals. It lives in their faeces (poo) from when they first get sick until a

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Bed bugs

By Sama Mohamed

  What are bed bugs? Bed bugs are small oval-shaped and flat insects. They can grow up to 5mm long, changing colour from cream to brown as they mature. While they need to feed on blood to grow, they are resilient and can live for up to a year without a feed. Bed bugs tend to live in cracks and crevices in and around your bed, especially in mattress seams and travel on clothing, furniture, bedding and luggage. They prefer to feed on humans but will also feed on other warm-blooded animals. They mainly feed at night. While they do

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