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Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
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Prevention
By Mayo Clinic staffTo prevent tapeworm infection:
- Wash your hands with soap and water before eating or handling food and after using the toilet.
- When traveling in areas where tapeworm is more common, wash and cook all fruits and vegetables with safe water before eating.
- Eliminate livestock exposure to tapeworm eggs by properly disposing of animal and human feces.
- Thoroughly cook meat at temperatures of at least 125 F (52 C) to kill tapeworm eggs or larvae.
- Freeze meat for at least 12 hours and fish for at least 24 hours to kill tapeworm eggs and larvae.
- Avoid eating raw or undercooked pork, beef and fish.
- Promptly treat dogs infected with tapeworm.
References
- King CH. Cestodes (tapeworms). In: Mandell GL, et al. Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases. 6th ed. Orlando, Fla.: Churchill Livingstone; 2005. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/156207614-3/0/1259/2336.html?tocnode=51384605&fromURL=2336.html#4-u1.0-B0-443-06643-4..50291-9_9001. Accessed Aug. 23, 2009.
- King CH. Cestode infections. In: Goldman L, et al. Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/156207614-3/0/1492/1272.html?tocnode=54627631&fromURL=1272.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-2805-5..50380-3_15831 Accessed Aug. 23, 2009.
- Craig P, et al. Intestinal cestodes. Current Opinion in Infectious Diseases. 2007; 20:524.
- Leder K, et al. Intestinal tapeworms. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Aug. 23, 2009.
- White AC. Clinical manifestations and diagnosis of cysticercosis. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Aug. 23, 2009.
- White AC. Treatment of cysticercosis. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Aug. 23, 2009.
