1. Wash Your Hands
Tapeworms are caused by ingesting the eggs or larvae of a tapeworm. In humans, we get tapeworms by consuming the eggs or larvae of beef, pork, fish or dwarf tapeworms. According to the Mayo Clinic, tapeworm eggs are ingested through the food, soil or water that is contaminated with human or animal feces. For instance, in pork tapeworm, if the pig is infected with the tapeworm eggs, a person may consume food or water that is contaminated with the feces from the infected animal. They may also transfer fecal matter into their own mouths. This kind of infection is more common in rural areas where a person is exposed to livestock and where there is improper disposal of human and animal feces.
Therefore it is necessary to wash your hands after going to the bathroom and after handling animals.
2. Cook Your Food Thoroughly
You can prevent a tapeworm infection by cooking your meat and fish thoroughly. All eggs are killed in the heating process.
As the tapeworm eggs hatch, they turn into larvae and are then transported to the muscle tissue of cattle, fish and other animals. In the muscle tissue, they develop cysts, and we consume these cysts when we eat undercooked or raw meat. Once the tapeworm cyst is inside of our intestinal walls, they grow into worms and the worms lay eggs. Health professionals recommend cooking food to 150 degrees F to kill the larvae and eggs.
3. Freeze Your Food
According to the pharmaceutical company Merck & Co., freezing meat can also kill cysts, as can brining, but smoking or drying meat or fish does not get rid of tapeworm cysts. The Mayo Clinic recommends freezing meat for at least 12 hours and freezing fish for at least 24 hours to kill the tapeworm cysts.
4. Avoid Eating Raw or Undercooked Meat
Health professionals also recommend staying away from sushi that contains raw fish and other dishes that contain raw meat like rare cuts of beef or steak tartare.
5. Use Caution When Traveling
Since tapeworm infection occurs more often in developing countries when sanitation practices are often substandard, be sure to clean all fruits and vegetables with safe drinking water before eating them, and preferably cook these foods rather than eating them raw. This will reduce the risk of ingesting foods containing tapeworm eggs or cysts.
