Doctors at Children's Hospital 2 in Ho Chi Minh City have performed a surgery to remove more than 100 roundworms whose scientific name is Ascaris lumbricoides from the small intestine of a 2.5-year-old boy.

The hospital reported that the patient is a Mong ethnic minority child who came to live in Binh Duong Province, a neighbor of Ho Chi Minh City, from northern Ha Giang Province a month earlier.

He suffered fever and diarrhea, so he was treated at the Binh Duong General Hospital but showed no improvement.

He was later transferred to Children's Hospital 2 in Ho Chi Minh City in a state of severe shock and respiratory failure and received endotracheal intubation.

After a checkup, doctors there decided to perform a surgery for him.

During the over-two-hour surgery, doctors discovered the entire small intestine of the boy contained more than 100 roundworms of all sizes.

They also found necrosis in a 70-centimeter small intestine section, which was later removed.

Doctor Pham Nguyen Hien Nhan, who directly performed the surgery, said surgeons had to open the patient’s small intestine at many spots to remove the roundworms.

The patient has recovered four days after the surgery. Doctors have instructed his family to deworm their child.

Doctor Pham Ngoc Thach, deputy director of Children's Hospital 2, said children, especially those aged between two and 10, are at high risk for roundworm infection if they live in an unclean environment.

Children have the habit of eating and drinking without washing their hands and holding soil or sand which often contains worm eggs.

These eggs will develop into worms after entering human bodies.

A high number of worms may cause intestinal blockages, which result in severe stomachache, vomiting, bloating, and fever. 

The late detection of intestinal blockages will cause necrosis in small intestines, sepsis and septic shock, posing significant life-threatening risks to patients.

Thach stressed that children should be dewormed every six months. Families and schools should instruct children to wash their hands with soap before meals and after playing.

Food for children must be cooked thoroughly and drinking water must be clean, doctor Thach added.

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