“Liver and lung and skin flukes” have been plaguing this grandmother and her five-year old grandson. As both of the victims of this parasite are fighting this infection, the grandmother reports that her lungs are “not looking good” and that her grandson’s gall bladder is in need of surgery.

Given that our reader was already sure of the diagnosis and did not pose any questions along with the context and images she provided, all we will be able to do in this article is warn our other readers about the parasites this grandmother is informing us about. Given that, we are grateful to our reader for sending in these images and context so that we can potentially help others in turn who are suffering from a similar condition. We should, however, warn our readers that the images contained in this article are of the parasites, and are not the most pleasant of sights. Also, before we go into the rest of the article, it is vital to note that we will not be able to comment on any of the medical conditions outlined by our reader as we are not medical professionals. If she has not already, we urge our reader to seek medical help for her grandson and herself, although seeing as she knows her grandson needs surgery, we are assuming she has done this already.

Our reader added in her email that the “flukes” are “dangerous parasites” that come from fish, shrimp and oysters, and says that “the sad part is not knowing you have these until it’s too late.” According to CDC (Center for Disease Control) liver flukes “infect humans and can cause liver and bile duct disease.” Furthermore, there are various types of liver flukes, though both can be contracted through consuming under-cooked seafood. To discover the symptoms that one can experience during an infestation of any of these types, we advise following the link provided and reading up on each species of liver fluke. If any of our readers has cause to believe that they are experiencing similar symptoms, we advise consulting a medical professional immediately. We would specifically advise seeking out a medical professional who specializes in parasitic infestations. To do this, one can simply Google search “infectious disease physician (name of their city)” or “travel disease doctor (name of their city).”

To conclude, our reader and her grandson’s case of liver fluke-infestation should serve as a warning to our other readers to be cautious of where one goes to eat, and to make sure that all meat or fish that one consumes is properly cooked in good conditions. It also serves as a reminder to consult a medical professional immediately upon discovering any serious health issues, such as the symptoms listed by the CDC. One does not want to find out they have a health issue after it is too late to treat it; health should always come first.

We wish our reader and her grandson the very best, and thank them for sharing this cautionary tale.

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