Parasite Sightings

If the thought of an organism living off your body makes your skin crawl, relax: most of the time you won’t even notice them (and if you do, treatment is quick and easy)

- Frances Sherman

ONE NIGHT, A COUPLE of hours after Allison McKenzie* put her four-year old daughter to bed, Emma* woke up saying she felt something “down there.” McKenzie turned on the light to see what was going on and screamed: there was a small, white, thread-like worm near Emma’s vagina. Using a tissue, McKenzie shoved it in a sealed plastic bag.

The following day, a doctor looked at the specimen and confirmed what McKenzie had discovered by frantically googling in the night: Emma had pin worms. But after taking two doses of an anti parasitic drug—which was prescribed to the entire family, since the parasites can spread quickly—and cleaning both the house and the bedding, the worms were eradicated.

Most people are revolted when they find out they’ve been hosting a parasite, defined as an organism that uses other living things—like you—for food or habitat. But Dr. Jay Keystone, professor of medicine at the University of Toronto and staff physician in the tropical disease unit at Toronto General Hospital, says parasites aren’t usually something to fear, as long as you aren’t immuno compromised.

Typically, we don’t even know we’re harbouring visitors, but we can fall ill when the organism’s numbers are significant. In such cases, it’s best to be prepared. So here are five of the most common parasites Canadians should know about.

1. GIARDIA LAMBLIA

What is it and how can I get it?