§ Sir Graham BrightTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases for toxocariasis there are each year; and what assessment she has made of the main available source of the disease.
§ Mr. SackvilleThe main source of toxocara infection is dog faeces. The Public Health Laboratory Service's communicable disease surveillance centre receives an average of about 50 laboratory reports of toxocariasis per year—not all caused by toxocara infection in dogs—the vast majority of these positives being reported because there has been some eye infection or disease. It is, however, acknowledged that there is probably a degree of under-reporting of this condition because the infection is self-limiting, and the infection may be either asymptomatic or very mild. The centre believes that it is not unreasonable to accept that there are between 100 and 200 new cases of toxocaral eye infection or disease—not necessarily causing severe damage to eyes—each year in the United Kingdom. Toxocariasis is not a notifiable disease.
§ Sir Graham BrightTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what information she has about the proportion of infants carrying antibodies to the parasitic worm, toxicara; and what action she plans to take to reduce the problem.
§ Mr. SackvilleIt is estimated that between 2 and 3 per cent. of the general population possess antibodies to toxocara species, suggesting that about 1 million people in the United Kingdom have been infected at some time. No antibody surveys have been undertaken specifically among children aged less than 12 months. However a survey in Bedford, conducted among children aged three to seven years in 1981, found that 14.6 per cent. possessed antibody. These data suggest that the majority of infections are acquired in childhood.
Toxocariasis is an avoidable illness which can easily be prevented by dog owners worming their dogs regularly and by cleaning up their dog's faeces. Basic hygiene procedures, such as wearing gloves when gardening and washing hands after gardening or, with children, when they have been playing in the garden or parks should be followed. The Department of Health provides a grant to the charity Community Hygiene Concern which produces information for the public on toxocariasis and also supports the work of the Department of the Environment to encourage responsible dog ownership.