Which practices are included in worm control and prevention?

• A. Thorough cooking of food, hand washing, and avoiding eating livestock carcasses
• B. Only chemical dewormers
• C. Regular bathing of livestock
• D. No meat handling precautions

Answer: (A)

Preventing worm infections relies on breaking the parasite life cycle through everyday hygiene and safe food handling. Thorough cooking of meat kills parasite cysts and eggs that may be present in undercooked products, protecting both people and livestock from ingesting viable parasites. Hand washing reduces the chance of ingesting parasite eggs or larvae that can be on hands after handling meat or animals, stopping transmission at the human–animal interface. Avoiding eating livestock carcasses removes a direct source of infection and reduces opportunities for scavenging that can spread parasites. While chemical dewormers can help control internal parasites, they are only one tool and don’t address transmission via contaminated food or poor hygiene. Regular bathing of livestock does not prevent internal parasitic infections, and having no meat handling precautions would increase the risk of parasite exposure.