[Neurocysticercosis: a public health perspective]

We review the physiopathological aspects of cysticercosis that are highly relevant in public health, in particular as a cause of epilepsy in adults. Cysticercosis is the infection of the central nervous system produced by the larvae of Taenia solium. In countries where cysticercosis is endemic, the prevalence of epilepsy is twice as high as that observed in areas that are free of this parasitic disease.

The human carrier of an intestinal Taenia solium is a source of cysticercosis infection, both for others and for him or herself. We propose that all diagnosed cases of neurocysticercosis must be compulsorily reported to the department of epidemiology at the Ministry of Health, in order to enable the control of sources of infection, to search for other possibly infected subjects, as well as to determine the prevalence and geographical distribution of this problem. The aim of this would be to fit, target and optimise the available resources in eradication campaigns.

Doctors, and more specifically neurologists and neurosurgeons, must remember that behind each patient diagnosed with neurocysticercosis there is a tapeworm carrier within the family environment or at the same table. Cysticercosis is a disease whose transmission mechanism consists in person to person contamination (from the tapeworm carrier to the individual with symptomatic or asymptomatic cysticercosis). Public health campaigns must begin from index cases of neurocysticercosis, which will allow us to reach the sources of infection. Cysticercosis is an eradicable disease that currently exists not only in developing countries but also in industrialised nations, as a result of tourism and immigration from endemic countries