A schoolboy whose grades slumped in class and he always became tired actually had a huge LARVA tumour in his head.
The lad, whose first name is Misha, had started getting worse marks in class.
He’d also started going to bed and falling asleep as soon as he got home.
At first, his parents thought he was slacking, but they got worried when other symptoms appeared.
His mum, Alena, said: “At first, it seemed like Misha was just being lazy.
“But then other symptoms appeared.
“Our son started limping, his arm was moving awkwardly, and he complained of headaches.”
She and his dad took him to a clinic for an MRI scan, which showed a large growth on the right hemisphere of his brain.
Medics could see that it was no ordinary tumour, but they weren’t sure exactly what it was.
Misha had surgery in Chelyabinsk last month to have the 12cm long tumour removed.
Neurosurgeon German Safronov told local media too: “The child suffered from headaches, his face became distorted, he experienced weakness in his limbs.
“When the boy came to me, I was very surprised, looking at the MRI scans. T
“he boy had neurocysticercosis of the brain.”
Neurocysticercosis, according to the WHO, is a preventable parasitic infection of the central nervous system and is caused by the pork tapeworm Taenia solium.
The medics who treated Misha believe he contracted the infection through dirty hands.
According to reports, the larva of the parasite “lived” in cystic bubbles in his head.
There were so many bubbles, say local media, that the doctors lost count.
Dr Safronov explained: “The formation outwardly resembled a giant hedgehog or raspberry, as it consisted of individual bubbles.
“The formation was completely removed, preserving the lateral wall of the posterior horn of the left lateral ventricle.”
The surgeon continued: “It was crucial not to open any of the bubbles because if that happened, and the contents of the cyst entered the cerebrospinal fluid, it would lead to the contamination of the entire brain.”
According to Safronov, anyone can develop the infection, but he said it was strange that a case had happened in the Chelyabinsk area.
Misha still needs rehabilitation, but his symptoms have now disappeared.
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