In a primary school in Lier, four to six children may still be infected with a rare pork tapeworm. This is evident from an MRI screening that the Department of Healthcare carried out on 77 schoolchildren. The children do not show any symptoms of illness and the infection is said to have occurred a number of years ago.
Last year, five children from the Lierse primary school Het Molentje tested positive for an infection with pork tapeworm. The Department of Care therefore organized an MRI screening of 77 children from the school to investigate whether there were any hidden infections and to better assess risks.
“Due to the previous infections, we assumed that we would discover hidden infections with this screening,” says Joris Moonens, spokesperson for the Department of Healthcare. “We invited all children who were in the same year as the infected students for a screening.”
It showed that six children showed suspicious lesions in the brain that could indicate an infection. These children are further examined to see whether it is indeed the pork tapeworm. According to the department, this is very likely in four children, but in two the diagnosis is less clear. The children are currently reported to have no symptoms of illness.
No more carrier
“We expected that,” Moonens continues. “We will discuss the results with some experts and with the European Center for Disease Control (ECDC), and will decide in consultation whether it is useful to organize more screenings or to carry out other tests, such as a blood test.”
The department indicates that these additional cases do not change the risk assessment for the schoolchildren of Het Molentje. “The infections almost certainly happened a number of years ago,” it said. “Intensive source research has shown that there is probably no carrier of a pork tapeworm in the school today that can infect others.”
Parents have now been informed and should remain vigilant for symptoms of infection in their child.
