Recorded case of 'dragon worm' in Vietnam, a worm up to meters long

A "dragon worm" was taken out in Vietnam, WHO experts said this is a new species - Photo: BSCC

According to Associate Professor, Dr. Do Trung Dung - Head of the Parasitology Department, Central Institute of Malaria, Entomology and Parasitology - among the 5 provinces and cities that have recorded cases, Yen Bai has the most with 11 cases, Phu Tho has 8 cases, Thanh Hoa has 2 cases, Hoa Binh has 1 case and Lao Cai has 2 cases, the most recent case was discovered in August 2024, all patients are male.

According to Associate Professor Dung, this type of "dragon worm" can be up to several meters long, and was previously only found in four African countries with poor environmental conditions. In 1998, Vietnam was certified by the World Health Organization as having no "dragon worm" disease, but in 2020, the first patient was unexpectedly discovered.

On April 1, Associate Professor Dung and other experts also had a discussion with experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) about this disease. Accordingly, WHO experts recommended that Vietnam monitor the disease and identify the species because this could be a new species of "dragon worm" that is different from the species found in African patients.

Associate Professor Dung also said that there is no treatment or vaccine for this disease caused by "dragon worms". Infected people must wait until the "dragon worms" crawl out of the skin through cracks or blisters on the skin.

When the "dragon worm" comes out, the patient/medical facility will wrap it carefully so that the worm does not break and remove it gradually. In some cases, it takes more than a day for the worm to completely come out of the skin.

Apart from this method, it is absolutely not recommended to perform surgery or cut off the "dragon worm", because when cut off, millions of "dragon worm" larvae can be released into the patient's skin, which can cause further infection or a very strong inflammatory reaction - Associate Professor Dung said that in reality, there have been patients who have encountered this situation.

In cases where the "dragon worm" does not come out through the skin, the worm may degenerate or enter the joints, causing disease there. The time from infection to the appearance of symptoms is usually 11-12 months. The habit of eating undercooked meat from animals such as snakes and frogs, and drinking raw water contaminated with larvae is the cause of this disease.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/ghi-nhan-ca-benh-giun-rong-o-viet-nam-loai-giun-dai-den-hang-met-20250401150143316.htm