Itching and scratching "to death" because of roundworms in cats and dogs
After many years of constant visits to the doctor, using many different topical and oral medications, Ms. NTP ( Hanoi ) still had "crazy" itching, many areas of skin on her thighs and arms were scratched from scratching. Coming to Dang Van Ngu Hospital for examination, Ms. P said: I also read in the newspaper that someone had the same itching as me, came here for examination and treatment and the itching stopped. For the past 3 years, I have been to many dermatology clinics but it was not effective.
At the hospital, Ms. P was ordered to have a blood test, the results showed that she was infected with roundworms. The doctor prescribed Ms. P specific medication to reduce the growth of larvae and itching.
Raising and cuddling pets carries the risk of infection with roundworms in cats and dogs (illustrative photo).
Dr. Hoang Dinh Canh, Director of the Central Institute of Malaria, Parasitology and Entomology, said that cases of roundworm infection of dogs and cats are exploding, especially due to raising and hugging pets. When hugging and sleeping with pets, owners can easily swallow roundworm eggs of dogs and cats. After entering the human body, roundworm eggs of dogs and cats cannot develop into worms but remain in the form of larvae. These larvae can move to the lungs, brain, liver, etc., especially causing itching of the skin.
At Dang Van Ngu Hospital alone, which specializes in treating parasitic and insect diseases, more than 15,000 patients were treated for dog and cat roundworm infections in 2023. It is estimated that 30,000 people nationwide are sick with dog and cat roundworm infections at medical facilities across the country.
According to Dr. Tran Huy Tho, Deputy Director of Dang Van Ngu Hospital, under the Central Institute of Malaria - Parasitology - Entomology, people infected with roundworms and hookworms from dogs and cats often come to the hospital with severe itching, skin lesions and infections for many years and have been examined and treated at a number of hospitals specializing in dermatology and clinical immunology but the disease does not improve.
Canine and feline roundworm larvae can migrate in the eye causing decreased vision, granulomas, endophthalmitis, retinal damage, keratoconjunctivitis, uveitis or can cause complete loss of vision.
The larvae can migrate to many different organs such as the heart, lungs and liver. Visceral form is common in children under 7 years old. Clinical symptoms are quite diverse depending on the number and location of parasitized organs, commonly seen as chronic abdominal pain, enlarged liver, diarrhea, vomiting; Bronchial asthma: Wheezing, dry cough, difficulty breathing...
More dangerously, the larvae move to the nervous system, causing nerve damage, headaches, convulsions...
Pets need regular deworming
According to Dr. Tho, Toxocara is a parasite in dogs and cats. Toxocara eggs are often found in soil or water contaminated with dog and cat feces. Normally, Toxocara eggs in the body of cats and dogs are released into the environment through feces, and 1-2 weeks later they will become embryos. This is the stage when Toxocara eggs enter and cause disease in humans.
People can be infected with this type of worm by eating raw vegetables or water containing worm eggs or accidentally inhaling dog or cat hair contaminated with worm eggs. Children are susceptible to worm infection due to the habit of playing with sand and dirt, which is a place where worm eggs are spread due to the defecation characteristics of dogs and cats.
"Currently, many people keep pets, love them, play with them, and sleep with them. To avoid being infected with roundworm larvae from dogs and cats, people should not eat, sleep with, hug, or kiss dogs and cats, and should clean their food bowls and pet waste. At the same time, pets should be dewormed regularly to reduce the risk of transmitting roundworm larvae from pets to humans, because they are at very high risk of being infected with parasitic diseases," Mr. Canh advised.
Dr. Hoang Dinh Canh, Director of the Central Institute of Malaria, Parasitology and Entomology, said: In addition to the high rate of people infected with dog and cat roundworms, many people are infected with small liver flukes, large flukes, tapeworms, eelworms, etc. from the habit of eating raw and raw food.
In particular, recently, people have been found infected with dragon worms, which are only found in poor countries in Africa. This is alarming, because dragon worms currently have no early diagnosis method and no specific treatment. Patients often have very strong allergic inflammation, hot, red, painful lesions in many locations. The only current treatment for dragon worms is to pull the worms out or the worms will crawl out of the lesions such as broken blisters and yellow discharge on the skin.
Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/om-ap-thu-cung-coi-chung-nhiem-au-trung-giun-cho-meo-192240408170337879.htm
Comment (0)