Frequently Asked Questions about worms
Introduction
Here are the answers to some of the more frequently asked questions we receive from visitors to this site. For more detailed scientific information, please visit the other links and refer to the formal WHO documents and guidelines, which can be downloaded free of charge.
I am going on holiday to a country where I think worms are a problem, should I be concerned ?
- First, you can easily avoid getting schistosomiasis by not swimming in fresh water in areas where schistosomiasis is likely to occur.
- Second, worms (both schistosomes and soil-transmitted helminths (STHs) do not cause a life-threatening disease for someone who is generally healthy and then becomes infected. The disease is only serious for people living in endemic areas who become constantly reinfected and have no access treatment.
- Third, if you get infected, the treatment is easy and safe.