Symptoms of parasites may not always be obvious.
However, such symptoms may mimic anemia or a hormone deficiency.
Some of the symptoms caused by several worm infestation can include itching affecting the anus or the vaginal area, abdominal pain, weight loss, increased appetite, bowel obstructions, diarrhea, and vomiting eventually leading to dehydration, sleeping problems, worms present in the vomit or stools, anemia, aching muscles or joints, general malaise, allergies, fatigue, nervousness.
Symptoms may also be confused with pneumonia or food poisoning.
The effects caused by parasitic diseases range from mild discomfort to death.
The nematode parasites Necator americanus and Ancylostoma duodenale cause human hookworm infection, which leads to anaemia and protein malnutrition.
This infection affects approximately 740 million people in the developing countries, including children and adults, of the tropics specifically in poor rural areas located in sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, South-East Asia and China.
Chronic hookworm in children leads to impaired physical and intellectual development, school performance and attendance are reduced.
Pregnant women affected by a hookworm infection can also develop aneamia, which results in negative outcomes both for the mother and the infant.
Some of them are: low birth weight, impaired milk production, as well as increased risk of death for the mother and the baby.