ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Coenurosis in humans

Coenurosis is a funny word that describes a type of sickness that can happen to people when they accidentally eat things they're not supposed to.

Sometimes, when people eat undercooked meat or drink dirty water, they can accidentally swallow something called a tapeworm. A tapeworm is a long, thin piece of a worm that lives in the stomach and intestines.

When a person swallows a tapeworm that has a baby tapeworm inside, the baby tapeworm can start to grow and cause problems. This is called coenurosis.

The baby tapeworm will grow into a big, lumpy cyst that can put pressure on important parts of the body, like the brain or lungs. This can make people feel very sick and can cause problems with their vision, memory, or even their ability to breathe.

Doctors can usually help people who have coenurosis by giving them special medicine that kills the tapeworm and helps their body heal. To avoid getting coenurosis, it's important to cook meat all the way through and drink clean, safe water.
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