Neurocysticercosis, Disease Caused By Brain Parasite, Attacking California's Latino Population: Despite all of man's efforts to tame nature, nature often fights back. That fight can take unexpected forms. For example, a deadly tapeworm living inside your brain.
A recent article in Scientific American revealed that neurocysticercosis, a disease caused by a brain parasite common in developing countries around the world but rare in the United States, has increasingly become prevalent in California.
While the disease is preventable by practicing basic good hygiene and simple to treat if discovered early on in the process, since the condition is relatively rare in the United States, it often goes undiagnosed until it becomes potentially life-threatening.
A study published in the Journal of Neglected Tropical Diseases found that in 2009, California saw 304 cases of neurocysticercosis. Additionally, Californians comprised a full 60 percent of all fatalities resulting from the condition.
