A large leech came out of the throat of a 5-year-old Chinese boy complaining of neck pain and breathing difficulties.
According to the Daily Mail in the UK on the 22nd (local time), Xiao Tao, 5, who lives in Shuangjiang County in the southwestern part of Yunnan Province, China, had difficulty breathing for more than a year and had a sore throat.
Meanwhile, Xiao Tao visited Shuangjiang People's Hospital, where he had an operation on the 16th, knowing that he was living with a leech stuck in his throat and sucking blood.
Several doctors used endoscopes to remove leeches from their throat.
Even after the leeches were removed from the throat, they wriggled and showed vigorous movements, and during that time, they had gained weight on their torso, about 10 cm long, as if they had consumed nutrients well.
"The leech may have gotten into the body during the process of drinking contaminated drinking water," said a doctor who successfully completed the operation. "The leech seems to have been parasitic for over a year."
The doctor said, "In the case of residents living in rural areas where the water supply system is not developed, they should be especially careful not to drink contaminated water," he said. "Please educate children about the dangers of contaminated water."
In China, a leech was found in the nose of a farmer who drank contaminated water in July.
At that time, the leech was found to have been parasitic in the nose for about two weeks.
(Photo = Lin Chang Leedian, Weixin capture, Yonhap News)