New Emphasis On Hydatids

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31081, 9 June 1966, Page 18

New Emphasis On Hydatids

Some disquieting features of the campaign against hydatids and a possible need for a change of emphasis in the campaign were referred to by Mr W. M. Harvie, representative of the Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs in the National Hydatids Council, in a report to the annual conference of the federation in Christchurch last evening.

“Enthusiasm and a sense of public responsibility among young farmers and dog owners put the campaign on its feet and helped it considerably in the formaHve years,” said Mr Harvie. ". . . But today we must face the fact that dog owners, and I mean farmers, have become apathetic to the objectives of the campaign. Enthusiasm has given way to complacency.”

Mr Harvie recalled that in the first two years of the campaign the incidence of true and false hydatids had been reduced by about twothirds, but it had since tended to remain about this level with only slight improvement Taenia ovis or sheep

measles, which was now more prevalent in dogs than true hydatids and continued to increase slowly, was a greater potential danger to the meat industry than either true or false hydatids, he said. Proving Their Value

“Our present control measures, inefficient as they are, are apparently proving their value and probably true hydatids will be reduced to insignificant proportions over the next 20 years and will eventually be eradicated, even if there are no major new developments. However, the position with false hydatids and ovis is entirely different,” said Mr Harvie. “I believe that the concepts of the hydatids eradication campaign are changing. For the last six years the campaign has been based on the premise that if the major emphasis is placed on the eradication of true hydaUds then false hydatids will be eradicated at the same time.

This has not proved to be the result, either in New Zealand or in Iceland. “If we can strike primarily at false hydatids and ovis would we not strike equally as effectively at the remaining incidence of true hydatids and achieve its eradication more quickly? I believe .this to be so, but for this change in emphasis to be successful

we would need to introduce some new factor into the campaign. "I think that we may have this new factor in the drug, bunamidine. which kills tapeworms in the dog without purging. Much work has yet to be done to determine whether hunamidine will provide the breakthrough we are looking for, but early results from field trials are promising. “The hydaHds campaign throughout the country is now largely marking Hme until the committee of inquiry reports to the Minister and this looks to be several months away yet. In the meantime, shortages of finance is curtailing much essential work, such as expansion of the field advisory service, educaHon and publicity and field investigation and research. The National Hydatids Council’s annual grant from the Government of £35,000 is woefully inadequate. “The hydatids campaign must not be allowed to lose further momentum. I believe that the Young Farmers’ Club federaHon has an important role to play in revitalising public opinion among farmers towards greater acceptance of their responsibilities.”