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Article: Microbe Hunting; EPA Cracking Down on Giardia, the Most Prevalent Parasite in the U.S.
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- November 24, 1987
- Author:
CopyrightThis material is published under license from the Washington Post. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post. (Hide copyright information)
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Who hasn't suffered occasionally from a periodic, persistent
"stomach flu"? Odds are, it could have been an intestinal disorder
unrecognized a quarter-century ago but which is rampant in the United
States today. Called giardiasis (pronounced jar-DYE-a-sis), it hits
countless Americans each year, from toddlers in day-care centers to
backpackers in the Rockies, bringing death to few but discomfort to
many.
Although unfamiliar to most laymen and some physicians,
giardiasis is the most common parasitic disorder in the U.S. today,
reports the National Institutes of Health. It is spread by contact
with feces containing a minute protozoan life form: Giardia lamblia.
Concerned over Giardia in ...