What Is Cysticercosis?
7. Who Is at Risk for Cysticercosis?
Most cases of cysticercosis occur in developing areas with poor sanitation that have difficulty controlling personal hygiene. Residents of these areas are at higher risk from tapeworm infections in general, making them also at higher risk for cysticercosis. Individuals from outside of these areas who travel to or temporarily live in affected areas are also at higher risk.
Since cysticercosis is contracted through pigs, areas that raise pigs and allow pigs to wander freely are also at higher risk. If pigs are not present in the area, tapeworms can still occur, but the specific Taenia solium pork tapeworm that causes cysticercosis should not be present. If one individual in a household develops this disease, everyone else who lives in the household is at an increased risk of also developing it.
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