A lot of misinformation circulates on social media, one is that 90 percent of Americans have a parasite and experts say while there is a high chance you have had one, you don’t want to listen to misinformation.
“Everybody at some point in their life has had a parasite,” FGCU professor Dr. Christina Anaya said.
Parasites come in all different shapes and sizes, lice, ticks or a tapeworm. It’s important to know parasites live all around us.
“There are about 1.2 million species of parasites that have been described,” Dr. Anaya said. But it's believed that there are more than 100 million species out there.
Some folks on social media are now recommending folks take dewormers to get rid of symptoms like bloating, weight gain and brain fog...
Dr. Anaya says that is a depleting resource and taking dewormers habitually can also help parasites to grow resistant.
So if you ever truly need medication – it may not work. Parasites can be transmitted in different ways, through contaminated water, food and feces.
“The chances of contracting a parasite through our tap water is very rare. It's not impossible but it's very rare,” Dr. Anaya said.
The best way to prevent getting parasites would be to eat fully cooked meats,
and to wash your vegetables, fruits and your hands often.
Parasites, although a nuisance to us, serve a purpose.
“I can't imagine a world without any insect parasites because insects are a problem, but they're also very necessary for the ecosystems,” Dr. Anaya said.
Dr. Anaya says there is a lot to learn about parasites. This month she made a discovery of a hairworm parasite in our state.
“I just last weekend found them in Tallahassee. First report. It will be the first official report for Florida. So that's exciting,” Dr. Anaya said.