Various types of worms or their immature forms can live as parasites within humans, residing in areas like the intestines, blood, lymphatic system, bile ducts, or organs such as the liver. Often, they produce minimal or no symptoms, but in some instances, they can lead to chronic illnesses. The two primary categories of these parasites are roundworms and flatworms, which are further divided into tapeworms (cestodes) and flukes (trematodes).
In developed countries, worm-related diseases commonly encountered include threadworm, ascariasis, whipworm, toxocariasis, liver fluke, and different types of tapeworm infestations. In tropical regions, additional worm diseases such as hookworm, filariasis, guinea worm disease, and schistosomiasis are also prevalent.
You can contract worms through various means, such as consuming inadequately cooked meat that’s infected, coming into contact with soil or water containing worm larvae, or unintentionally ingesting worm eggs from soil polluted by infected feces. Fortunately, most of these infestations can be effectively treated with anti-parasitic medications known as anthelmintics.