Diphyllobothriasis latum is an intestinal parasitosis caused by the ingestion of mostly raw fresh-water fish containing plerocercoids of Diphyllobothrium latum. We report an 8-year-old boy who came to our hospital with the complaint of a tapeworm hanging from the anus after defecation. The other symptom was mild abdominal cramping for a period of 1 year. The laboratory examination did not reveal anemia or vitamin B12 deficiency. Examination of gravid proglottids with rosette-like central uterus and typically operculated eggs of D. latum confirmed the diagnosis. The morphologic characters of proglottids and eggs size are compatible with D. latum. The patient had a history of eating uncooked fish for 1 year. Salmonids may be the infection source. He was treated with two doses of praziquantel and passed about 183 cm in length of all proglottids. There is a high prevalence of diphyllobothriasis latum in the northern temperate areas, but it is very rare in children. This patient is the first child case reported in Taiwan.

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Background: COVID-19 continues to ravage the world with economies and life significantly and negatively affected. Fortunately, there has been significant progress in the production of vaccines to stem the infection. However, with controversies and myths surrounding vaccinations, it is timely to examine individuals’ willingness to vaccinate. The present study developed and validated the Motors of COVID-19 Vaccination Acceptance Scale (MoVac-COVID19S) and assessed the acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination utilizing the cognitive model of empowerment (CME). Methods: A total of 3145 university students (mean age=20.80 years; SD=2.09) were recruited for the present study between January 5 and 16, 2021. Two MoVac-COVID19S scales (9-item and 12-item) were adapted from the MoVac-Flu Scale, an instrument developed using CME. Psychometric tests were conducted to ascertain reliability and validity properties. Results: The findings indicated that the MoVac-COVID19S had high internal consistency in both the 9-item version (ω=0.921) and 12-item version (ω=0.898). The factor structure of the MoVac-COVID19S (9-item and 12-item versions) corresponded well with CME theory. All the fit indices were satisfactory (CFI=0.984, TLI=0.971, RMSEA=0.088, SRMR=0.058) but the 9-item MoVac-COVID had better fit indices than the 12-item MoVac-COVID due to the negative wording effects existing in the 12-item MoVac-COVID19S. The scale had satisfactory known-group validity in both 9-item and 12-item versions. Conclusions: The MoVac-COVID19S has promising psychometric properties based on internal consistency, factor structure, and known-group validity.

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