Hydatids Menace

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 36, 5 November 1937, Page 3

Hydatids Menace

-Press Aasociation.)

NEED OF PREVENTlON Governor-General Urges Campaign ^ ' DANGERS STRESSED

(Bv Telegraph-

PAEMEESTON N., This DayA campaign for tiiG elimination of hydatids, a disease of some prevalence in the Dominion, was urged by Lord Galway when opening the Boyal Show at Palmerston North yesterday. "For some time past the Government has appreciated the desirability of conducting a concerted attack on diseases prevalent in livestock," said the Gover-nor-General. "It is generally.recognised that intensification in livestock management tends to increase the incidence of disease, and in a country such as ours where our economic stability depends on the products of animals, a jserious economic problem is presented. ©f even greater importance in the life of the Dominion, is the danger of infection araongst our human population, resulting from contact with or absorption of, animal products from disea,sed stock. The Government is determined to do all in its power to safeguard the position, and has realised that the sound line of attack is the Temoval of root causes, or the prevention of disease in animals, rather than treating disease in animals or human beings after diagnosis. The forces necessary for a concerted attack are now being marshalled. The Animal Disease Besearch Bureau has been es'tablished, and the Government Besearch Station at Wallaceville is being enlarged, and the procuring of. additional eompetent staff is under consideration. Prof essor Hammond, of Cambridge TJniversity, has beep invited to'New Zealand to confer with authorities here, and at the present time we have Dr. Hucker, Professor of Bacteriology at

Cornell University, and Director of Besearch at Geneva, New York, in the Dominion for the purpose of advising what steps should be taken. Thus the attack on mastitis, sterility, tuberculosis and other diseases is being organised, and direct action is contemplated in the near future. "Of the several disease which afflicl both man and livestock, . one, which if very common in New Zealand as well af in practically all sheep-raising countries, and which has caused considerable concern for many years, is hydatid disease This conditien is one stage of the life eycle of a parasitic tapeworm in dogs and develops when the eggs of the tapeworm are swallowed by man, sheep cattle or pigs. For years past the attention of the public has been drawn t the incidence of this disease in NeM Zealand, but despite the publicity whicl has been given to the subject, hydati'i disease continues to taka its tcr iT in Neu Zealand. Every year our pubiic hos pitals alone are called on to treat wel) over 100 cases. Last year there weri 133, the highest number yet recorded Many cases end fatally, the mortalitj rate being round about 16 per cent., and those who survive have usually tfl suffer a long period of disablement— months, or even years.' This is a heavy price to pay for a definitely preventable disease, but it is not th'e whole price.

"Sheep and' cattle and other stoch animals pick up the infection' with their polluted food and drink, In all sheepraising countries it is found that a large proportion of the sheep develop hydatid cysts sooner or later. That will show how prevalent the infection is. Fortunate it is, from a public health point of view, that, owing to the comparatively short life of the sheep, the meat remains wholesome and the wo'ol is obviously not damaged. A considerable number of sheep livers, however, are affected by hydatids and are therefore not available for -food or for coniversion into preparations for the treatjment of, blood diseases in man. It lestimated that the primary producers of this country are losing at least £50,000 a year from this cause. The intellig'ent co-operation of the primary producers of this Dominion will inevitably result in a reduction of this economic loss, and, what is more importantj reduce the - O

|amount of human "snffertRg and death due to this disease. "Hydatid disease prevails especially in those countries where man is brought •into close contact with the dog, more especially when the dogs are used to herd sheep. The countries having the most extensive human infection are, therefore, those where 'sheep raising is an important activity and include the southern half of South America, Australia, Tasm'ania and paris og South Africa; as well as New Zealand, and, of course, the disease is.widely distributad in the European and Asiatic sheep raising") countries. Prevention is Simple. "The prevention of hydatid disease is simple. The line of attack is twofold; 'first, to eradicate the tapeworm from the dog, and second, "to prevent, the dog from being reinfected by eating raw infected offal. There is reason to believe that if all dog owners would administer to their dogs at regular intervals a vermicide, e.g., a arecolin hydro-bromide, and would .ensure that dogs were not fed with raw offal, the disease would immediately be brought under control and in due course would be eliminated.

"The high prevalence of hydatid disease in New Zealand is a reproach to our community. It is considered that despite years of intensive propaganda and health education, one-third of the dogs of this country still harbour the parasite. The question of carrying on, if possible, an even more intensive and* effective campaign against the disease, is therefore now receiving the attention of the Government. One suggestion which at present is under consideration is that every owner at the time j he registers a dog should be required to ,buy ia sufficient stock oi arecolin hydrojbromide, or other opproved vermicide, jto enable him to carry out complete and I thorough treatment .of his dog every i jthree months for the ensuing twelve, ! jmonths. The .owner would be given full j jinstructions in regard to the method of I administration and have urged upon him the - importance of carrying out ,the directions supplied.

"It is, of course, impracticable to control by Statute the feeding of dogs with raw offal. The most that can be done is to point out the dangers of feeding raw offal to dogs and to leave it to the commonsense and public spiritedness of the farming community to enisure compliance. Fifty years or so ago Lyda'tid disease was a veritable plague in Iceland. To-day, thanks to a rigorous campaign of prevention its incidence has been reduced to quite small proportions. An investigation made in the year 1867 showed an incidence of one in 50 of the population. In the year 1920 it was one in 2638. Surely New Zealand can do equally as well, as, if uot better, than Iceland. "The Government, through tho, Mihisters of Health and Agriculture and both their departments intend to embark on an intensiv'e campaign against the disease. Sir Louis Barnett and his colleagues, who have carried on so devotedly and successfully hydatid research work at the Otago Medical School, are anxious and willing to cooperate to the fullest extent. I invite you to join with us in a com&ined effort to stamp out this disease from our midst. "Already a great deal has been done, and done quite successfully, but within a limited sphere, to combat the dangera of the disease. More is required. Itmust be combated more strongly and effectively than ever before. It should be entirely eradicated. Scientists, who have studied -d revealed the iife history of the parasite, assert that it «an be eliminated. .To accomplish this .ob-

jective would be to confer great benefit and blessings on the people of the Dominion, particularly on those men, women and children in country districts who are in contact with that devoted servant and companion of mankind, the dog, because of the lack of essential care and precaution in connection with the food supplied to him, is involuntarily converted from a faithful friend into a potential menace. "With the help and co-operation of farmers, shepherds, drovers, and all other owners of dogs, the tragical disease of hydatids can be overcome, and New Zealand can lead the world in this great accomplishment. There is no reason why it should not do so. There is every reason why it should. Let us all unite then in a great effort to free our people from the dangers - of hydatids, and place New Zealand in the vanguard of the worldwide attack on this disease." ,