The images featured in the collage are authentic and truly depict a body infected with parasites, which was later linked to the consumption of raw pork. However …
… the woman in the images was 23 years old when the images were captured and started consuming raw pork around the age of 10.
It remains unclear how frequently or consistently she consumed raw meat.
A series of medical images spread on the social media platform X in August 2024, purportedly showing the body of a young Chinese woman "riddled with parasites after eating raw pork for 10 years." The post had more than 38.2 million views and 176,000 likes, as of this writing.
Another post with the same images was shared on X three months earlier, gaining 16.7 million views. The images also spread on Threads, Facebook and Reddit in 2024. "Before I read it I thought it was angel wings," one Facebook user wrote. "I haven't eaten pork in 4 years. This is why," wrote another.
In short, the images were authentic and depicted part of a woman's body (the lower torso and legs) infected with parasites linked to the consumption of raw pork. However, the person in the collage was 23 years old when the pictures were taken and reportedly started consuming raw pork around the age of 10. Additionally, it remains unclear how frequently or consistently she consumed raw meat. Because of that, we have rated the claim a "Mixture" of truth and falsehoods.
TinEye reverse image-search results indicated the collage was first shared online on Jan. 21, 2016. However, our research showed it was shared earlier, on Jan. 19, by China National Radio, the national radio network of China.
The caption on the images read (we translated it form Chinese): "The white spots on the legs are caused by parasites. Photo courtesy of the First Provincial Hospital."
(news.cnr.cn)
According to the report, the woman, who at the time was 23, had been infected with parasites, specifically cysticercosis, as a result of consuming raw pork over many years. The infestation was confirmed by doctors at the First People's Hospital of Yunnan Province, who discovered parasites in her brain, eyes, muscles and other parts of her body (emphasis ours):
Recently, Tingting (pseudonym), who is only 23 years old, was infected with parasites in many parts of her body due to eating raw pork. Doctors at the Yunnan Provincial First People's Hospital (Kunhua Hospital) said that raw meat is very susceptible to parasite infection, and it is recommended that citizens try to cook and heat it before eating. Parasites are proteins and can generally be killed by high temperatures.
Tingting (pseudonym), 23 years old, is from Yubeng Village, Deqin County, Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. Recently, she, who had been in good health before, suddenly developed symptoms of headache and thigh pain. Then, unexplained pain appeared in many parts of her body. In severe cases, even her eyes would hurt, and she would keep crying. After this situation lasted for more than a month, Tingting went to the Department of Neurology of the Provincial First Hospital for treatment last week. In order to find out the cause of Tingting's body pain, the doctor suggested that she first do a brain MRI and a full-body CT scan. After getting the test results, even the experts who have been practicing medicine for many years exclaimed: "It's incredible." - From various imaging examination data, Tingting's brain, back of the eyeball, thighs, abdominal wall, back muscles are full of worms, and even the tongue and facial muscles are infected. The blood test further confirmed that Tingting's cysticercosis antibodies were positive, which was a cysticercosis infection.
The article said Tingting's family confirmed she had been eating raw pork since childhood, which led to her parasitic infection (emphasis ours):
After careful questioning, the mystery of Tingting's headache was finally solved. "We eat raw pork on the day of slaughtering the pig." Tingting's brother-in-law told reporters that in the local area, when their family or relatives slaughter pigs during festivals, they always put the tenderest meat into seasonings and mix it before eating it raw. Tingting started eating raw meat when she was about 10 years old, but because she was a girl, she didn't eat much, and no one thought that she would be infected with parasites from eating raw meat.
The doctor found that there was cysticercosis in Tingting's brain. "This means that some cysticercosis have died, indicating that the infection has lasted for a long time. In addition, the patient had bulging eyes, retinal hemorrhage, multiple infections throughout the body, and epileptic seizures." Professor Meng Qiang, chief physician of the Department of Neurology at the Provincial First Hospital, said that this was the first time he had encountered such a serious cysticercosis infection.
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