Medical tests have shown that at least 209 children in Bac Ninh province in Vietnam have been infected with tapeworms.
Vu Minh Dien, an official with the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases, said more than 800 children had been brought to the facility to get tested for tapeworm infections, VN Express reported.
As of March 17, 102 tapeworm infections were confirmed at the hospital, with the number expected to rise. Another facility – the National Institute of Malariology, Parasitology and Entomology (NIMPE) – had seen 107 out of almost 900 children found with tapeworms.
The director of the Bac Ninh Health Department, To Mai Hoa, said the province will work with relevant government bodies to continue testing as well as carrying the costs of testing students of 19 preschools.
The tapeworm epidemic was brought about by the news of 57 children being found with tapeworms at the Thanh Khuong Kindergarten in Bac Ninh. While the actual source of the tapeworms had yet to be confirmed, infected pork found in the school’s kitchen in late February was rumored to be the source.