Dog disease danger

Press, 24 February 1977, Page 2

Dog disease danger

A disease carried by dogsj which could cause serious! illness in humans — the; subject of an overseas docu-l mentary shown by TVI onj Monday evening — wasj likely to have a lower incidence in New Zealand said I a spokesman for the Veteri-i nary Association. The television programme, ; “The Case Against Dogs,”, outlined how children couldcontract the disease by! handling soil contaminated! with dog droppings.

Mr R. C. Gi*nbrell, trf then Canterbury branch of the! Veterinary Association, said! the incidence of infection! from visceral larval migransl caused by eating the larvae! of a dog roundworm isj lower than the 5 to 10 per cent quoted in the pro-'

gramme for London children: and up to 15 per cent forj children in Louisiana in the I United States. Greater space! in New Zealand cities and fewer dogs reduced the chance of infection. Roundworm eggs can survive in the soil for long! periods. Passing illness was usually the result of eating the roundworm larvae, he said, but sometimes the eggs entered the spinal cord, brain, and eyes, with serious

[effects. i Mr Gumbrell said the drug ■ used for hydatids control I was hot effective against I roundworms. Pups were in'fected during pregnancy and : from their mother’s milk and should be wormed at 'three, five and seven weeks

old and dosed every six months after that. The documentary should remind the public of the health hazards associated with dogs, said Mr Gumbrell and that washing hands after handling dogs and before eating was essential.