Experts warn of the risk of dangerous diseases from pet ownership

Can also be infected with roundworms from dogs and cats by breathing

Dr. Nguyen Van Dung, Head of the Department of Entomology, Central Institute of Malaria - Parasitology - Entomology, said that nowadays, many people like to keep pets, commonly dogs and cats. Especially among young people, keeping pets has become very popular in big cities. Few people expect that close contact with pets is the reason for the increase in the number of patients infected with dog and cat roundworms in recent years.

“In the past, the main worm infections were roundworms, whipworms, pinworms, etc. There were cases where the intestines contained hundreds of worms causing blockages, and the worms even crawled into the bile duct. Currently, patients are hospitalized mainly due to roundworm infections from dogs and cats due to raising pets,” Dr. Nguyen Van Dung shared.

Being too close to pets can easily lead to infection with dog and cat tapeworm.

Toxocara is a parasite that infects cats and dogs. Toxocara eggs are usually found in soil or water contaminated with cat or dog feces. Normally, Toxocara eggs in cats and dogs are released into the environment through feces. After 1-2 weeks, they will become embryos. This is the stage when Toxocara eggs enter and cause disease in humans.

The transmission route of roundworms in cats and dogs is very diverse. When raising pets, if their feces are not properly treated, roundworms in cats and dogs will spread through direct contact, infect drinking water, food, and can even be transmitted through breathing. What is special, according to Dr. Dung, is that even if you take deworming medicine regularly twice a year, you will not be able to remove roundworms in cats and dogs, but must follow a specific schedule.

The danger of getting roundworms in cats and dogs is that if you eat the eggs, the larvae will travel throughout the body, possibly to the brain, liver, lungs, etc. Depending on the location, the symptoms will be different, including some obvious symptoms such as prolonged itching, hives, rashes, etc. due to the larvae moving down. In addition, the patient may have abdominal pain, headache, fever, skin lesions, etc.

Nowadays, many people keep pets, play with them and sleep with them, which is a potential risk of disease. People infected with roundworms and hookworms from dogs and cats often come to the hospital with severe itching, skin lesions and infections. When itching, patients will scratch and cause damage to many areas of the skin because they are not always aware that when itching, they must wash their hands before scratching. Dirty fingernails are an environment for bacteria to enter the body when scratching.

Be careful when raising pets

Dr. Tran Huy Tho, Deputy Director of Dang Van Ngu Permanent Hospital, Central Institute of Malaria - Parasitology - Entomology, said that in recent years, the number of patients with parasites has increased. Patients come to the clinic mainly with the initial symptom of itching. "Most people think that itching is a reason to go to the dermatologist. Some people have been itching for 5-10 years without getting better, but when they come here, they discover that they are infected with dog and cat worms and are cured after only 1 course of treatment," said Dr. Tho.

Dr. Tho warns that raising pets, hugging them, playing with them… is a very high risk for the development of canine and feline worms. During the treatment process, some people respond quickly, but others have to take 2-3 courses of treatment to recover.

Dr. Tho said that another common disease is liver fluke caused by eating aquatic vegetables or boiled snails. Boiling snails will not kill the larvae but will not kill the liver fluke. The damage caused by liver fluke is similar to liver cancer. “I have met patients with lesions on the left side of the liver, who came to Viet Duc to be diagnosed with liver tumors, but only found out that they were liver flukes after surgery. If liver flukes had been diagnosed early, they would not have had to undergo such major surgeries,” said Dr. Tho.

In addition, people who like to eat raw fish are often susceptible to small liver flukes. When infected with flukes and not cleaned, the flukes parasitize in the gallbladder, leading to gallbladder cancer. If diagnosed early, treatment is very simple. Symptoms of liver flukes are varied, some people have pain and fever, some people do not have any symptoms, only ultrasound can detect liver flukes. Therefore, when the body has any unusual signs, people need to go to the doctor immediately. In eating, you should change your habits, preferences for eating raw or rare. It is best to eat cooked food, drink boiled water, and use safe food.

According to Dr. Hoang Dinh Canh, Director of the Central Institute of Malaria - Parasitology - Entomology, parasitic diseases develop silently in the human body, lasting for many years, up to 10 years, even 20 years. Many patients have been passing worms for decades but have not seen any unusual symptoms in their bodies, so they think it is normal and do not go to the doctor. Only when they feel weak and have many seizures do they go to the doctor. By then, the parasites may have caused damage to the brain.

Many patients have been examined at many medical facilities from private to public hospitals in the province and the central government but the disease was not diagnosed, wasting the golden time for treatment. Many people even thought they had epilepsy, stroke, mental illness so they were treated in mental hospitals for many years. When they came to a specialized hospital to treat parasitic diseases, it was already at a relatively late stage, the parasites had attacked the body and brain and they had to suffer many sequelae that lasted for the rest of their lives.

Dr. Canh said that people who suspect they have a parasitic infection can go to specialized parasitic treatment facilities nationwide for examination and consultation.

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