Three types of tapeworms found in pork and fresh produce take the three leading places in a list of the 10 “food-borne parasites of greatest global concern” issued by the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization. “The parasites affect the health of millions of people every year, infecting muscle tissues and organs, causing epilepsy, anaphylactic shock, amoebic dysentery and other problems,” says FAO. The list is intended to generate action to control the parasites.
In a sidebar “Parasites by Continent,” FAO says, “In the United States, Neurocysticercosis, caused by Taenia solium, is the single most common infectious cause of seizures in some areas of the US where 2000 people are diagnosed with neurocysticercosis every year.” Taenia solium, called the pork tapeworm, is the No 1 parasite worldwide.