Worm eradication programs were successfully implemented in South Korea after the Korean War, Hotez added, and pharmaceutical companies have been willing to donate supplies of anti-parasitic drugs to countries in need. Toxocara is found in poor neighborhoods in the United States as well." "These are all infections that are extremely common in the poorest parts of Asia. "These are not unique to North Korea," he said. Though the reclusive nature of the country limits what is known about its health problems, Hotez said such health issues are common in other places with devastating economic conditions. Dental and vision problems, such as cataracts, are also frequently reported. Studies comparing North Korean defectors with other refugee populations found they were more likely to be underweight - and one estimated that about one-third of North Korean children under age 5 are malnourished. Past reports have shown that many who have fled the country suffer from those maladies, as well as tuberculosis, a common and frequently difficult-to-treat lung infection. His case is just the latest of health problems among hundreds of other refugees and defectors from North Korea. The larvae of these parasites often migrate to other organs in the body - often the liver, brain, lungs and eyes - causing damage.īut even more problematic than the parasitic infections is the soldier's reported hepatitis B, a viral infection of the liver that can lead to life-threatening cirrhosis if untreated. Toxocara is a parasite similar to Ascaris, though it is normally found in the intestines of dogs and cats the worms do not usually grow as large in the intestines of humans. Likewise, another parasitic worm infection the soldier reportedly had, Toxocara, is also fairly easily treated. While dramatic in appearance, roundworm infections are easy to treat, generally requiring only a single dose of anti-parasitic medication. Multiple large worms in an infected person can cause intestinal blockages, and the worms can travel to the nearby liver, gallbladder, or pancreas and cause damage and inflammation to those organs, Hotez said.
"Instead of feeding the kid, you're feeding the worms," said Hotez.
In children, this can lead to developmental delays and short stature. However, Hotez said, they can lead to malnutrition in the infected. Despite the size of these creatures, Ascaris roundworm infections may not be accompanied by noticeable symptoms.