Usapang Bulate: Mebendazole versus Phylum Platyhelminthes

“Get out of my house! I don’t need a parasite!”. These are the immortal lines of Maricel Soriano
in a Filipino film followed with multiple slaps and blows on the antagonist’s face. Being the antagonist
who lived off her and then deceived her (a typical Filipino movie cliché. Hehe), she indeed is a parasite.
Figuratively.

Parasitism, a state of having an unwanted organism that may harm its host is one of the symbiotic
relationships in the biosphere. For years, biology teachers have been teaching symbiotic relationships and
phyla to students since grade six. Among all the definite relationship present in our ecological systems,
parasitism is one of the labeled harmful. Simply because the parasite gets all the benefits as the host
suffers.

Putting all these ideas in a more understandable level, the DepEd together with the Department
of Health campaigned to lessen the number of harmful parasites present in the human system. Through
deworming, the entire student body took a tablet after taking their snack. There is no way for a parasite
to be absent from your tummy. Everyone should be knowledgeable of what harm and uneasiness it may
bring to its host. One must keep an eye on his/her practices, food and liquids intakes as it reflects how
you care about your health. It truly is a fight between mebendazole and the organisms belonging in the
Phylum Platyhelminthes. The ‘bulate’. (Phylum Platyhelminthes- A classification of organisms according
to characteristics that includes parasites like tapeworms etc.)

Mebendazole is a medication used to treat a number of parasite infestation that are happily
living off the human system. It is taken annually and every school implements and monitors the
medication intake. This is also required to prevent a much worse invasion of these wriggling worms.

Whether you wash your hand properly and practice appropriate hygiene, one cannot escape
parasites from eating undercooked veggies and meat and consuming contaminated water. These
moments are great opportunities for the parasites to ingest eggs. If one feels weak, experiences
diarrhea, abdominal pain, nausea and loss of appetite after eating something, suspect that the reason
are these parasites.

“It is mainly to get rid of the thread worms and inhibit reinfection. This will usually involve a
combination of medication to kill the worm and strict hygiene measures to stop the spread of the eggs”,
a reminder from NHS choices.

Still, medication intake would be useless if practices are not changed. Their invasion and harm will not
come to an end. If they finally take over one’s body, it would not be pretty like how Wanda appeared in
the movie “The Host”. It would be awful, with the body sick and thin. Surely, you wouldn’t want that
would you?