Pork and ham are often holiday favorites, but beware – if not cooked properly, they can introduce unwanted parasites into your body.

This is precisely what happened to a man in China named Zhu Zhongfa. After eating undercooked pork, he unknowingly ingested the eggs of a dangerous parasite known as Taenia solium. His health took a drastic turn as he began suffering from frequent seizures and episodes of fainting that persisted for weeks, leading him to seek medical intervention.

Just a month after consuming the undercooked pork, doctors discovered that these episodes were due to an extensive tapeworm infestation. These parasites had infested his brain, lungs, and various other organs, spreading throughout his body via his bloodstream.

Medical professionals linked his severe condition directly to the undercooked pork he had eaten. His life was thrown into disarray as the tapeworm infestation made it impossible for him to work in construction, where operating heavy machinery is a daily task. The impact on his health and livelihood was devastating.

Despite enduring weeks of discomfort, Zhongfa sought medical help only when his condition became intolerable. By the time he was admitted to the hospital, he was experiencing foaming at the mouth and repeated loss of consciousness.

The larvae entered Zhongfa’s system through his digestive tract, eventually traveling to his brain and lungs via the bloodstream. These parasitic worm larvae lodged themselves into bodily tissues, forming cysts that could cause severe infections if they decayed. Similar cases often lead to symptoms such as headaches, seizures, blindness, and dementia. In some instances, these symptoms can take years to manifest.

In Zhongfa’s situation, the larvae developed cysts near his brain and nervous system, causing a dangerous infection called cysticercosis. His medical examination revealed space-occupying lesions in the brain, along with cysts in his lungs and chest muscles.

Reflecting on his condition, Zhongfa recalled eating a meal that didn’t seem fully cooked about a month before his symptoms began. It was the relentless seizures and fainting spells that finally pushed him to get medical help.

Dr. Huang Jianrong from the Affiliated Hospital of Zhenjiang University School of Medicine took immediate concern over Zhongfa’s deteriorating health. Dr. Huang ordered brain and chest MRIs to fully assess the extent of the infestation.

“He not only had numerous lesions in his brain, but also cysts in his lungs and chest muscles,” explained Dr. Huang. “Different patients respond variably to such infections, depending on where the parasites lodge. While Zhongfa experienced seizures and loss of consciousness, others with cysts in their lungs might experience severe coughing.”