Recently, a case in Shenzhen has attracted attention. A 1-year-old girl developed a sudden and sustained high fever after being exposed to a large snail while playing in the community. She was eventually diagnosed with severe encephalitis caused by "Angiostrongylia cantonsis". The child was able to stop taking the drug after half a year of standard treatment, but long-term follow-up observation is still required.
The doctor said that the source of the child's infection was the giant African snail, which is common in the south. The father of the child once took the child to crawl and play freely in the community, and the child was very likely to come into contact with the giant African snail during play.
This type of infection is not uncommon among children. Last year alone, the hospital received many similar cases, all related to contact with snails.
It should be noted that in addition to touching the snails directly with your hands, you may also be infected by parasites if you come into contact with the mucus left by the roads and grass where the snails have crawled.
It is reported that this large snail, also known as the brown cloud agate snail, is a quarantine pest. It carries a large number of parasites and pathogenic bacteria in its body, feces, and mucus left by crawling.
Infection can cause meningitis, visual impairment, severe sequelae such as mental retardation and convulsions, and even life-threatening consequences.
In addition, the incubation period of this parasite is between 1 and 36 days, and the average incubation period in children is about 14 days. The disease will not occur immediately after exposure, and it is easily ignored by parents.
Doctor’s warm reminder: When taking your children out, do not touch, pick up, or step on large snails, and take a detour if you see them; wash your hands immediately with soap and running water if you accidentally touch them, and do not rub your eyes or eat with dirty hands; if you drop outdoor toys, disinfect them before letting your children play with them; if you find a large number of snails in the community, contact the property management to eliminate them in time.
