Roundworms rob toddler of his sight

During a recent routine visit to my veterinarian, I read an extremely disturbing article about a toddler in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada who has lost his vision and some mobility due to roundworms from raccoons, an animal found throughout southern Canada and the United States. Here is a link to the story about the toddler. http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/445081 All I can say is 'how absolutely awful' for him and agree that no one deserves what he is now suffering from because of parasites from the raccoon species. Here's a link with information about Baylisascaris (raccoon) Infection from the Center for Disease Control. http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dpd/parasites/baylisascaris/default.htm

My vet has recently attended some meetings with local pediatricians and veterinarians about the spread of parasites in Canada due to global warming. More and more children and pets are being infected by parasites. Of course there are different sources of parasites but raccoons are ubiquitous in these parts, especially in cities; even in rural areas, the number 1 road-kill critter on country roads is the raccoon. They are smart and sort of cute but they carry diseases. My veterinarian is now recommending more frequent worming of all of our dogs and we shall be carrying out a more rigorous protocol to protect both them and us humans in the household. I thought it would be very useful to spread information about raccoon roundworms to my Blog readers, especially if you have dogs and children.