HC Deb 11 May 1989 vol 152 cc496-7W
Mr. Flynn

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what are his calculations or estimates of the incidence of diseases contracted as a result of contact with domestic animals in each of the past 10 years.

Mr. Freeman

Data on which to base the estimates requested are not available centrally.

Mr. Flynn

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what are his calculations or estimates of the number of cases of diseases caused as a result of contact with dog faeces in each of the past 10 years.

Mr. Freeman

The only disease contractable from dog faeces on which we have data is toxocariasis. We have no direct information on the source of infection in individual cases. The rise in cases in recent years is at least in part due to the development of new tests and to increased screening and testing of patients with symptoms suggestive of the disease.

Toxocara (unspecified)
Laboratory Reports to the Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre England, Wales and Ireland 1978–1987
Year Total
1978 10
1979 2
1980 2

Year Total
1981 2
1982 12
1983 23
1984 37
1985 45
1986 60
1987 84

Mr. Flynn

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what are his calculations or estimates of the number of cases of toxoplasmosis in each of the past 10 years.

Mr. Freeman

The data requested are as follows:—

Laboratory Reports to CDSC England, Wales and Ireland
Year Number
1978 621
1979 576
1980 790
1981 865
1982 680
1983 875
1984 828
1985 883
1986 798
1987 868
11988 796
1 Provisional.

Source: Annual tables.