Ontario health units are on the lookout for a new aggressive tapeworm, that has been found in foxes.
OXFORD COUNTY - Health Units across Ontario are on high alert for an aggressive tapeworm that's found in wild foxes.
Dr. Joyce Lock, a Medical Officer with Southwestern Public Health, says it could be deadly to humans.
"We know that when this tapeworm gets into people that it can cause a tumour-like cyst in the liver and if we don't pick it up after many years it can actually cause death."
If a dog were to contract it, the tapeworm would live in the dog's intestines. As far as Dr. Lock knows, it is more deadly to humans than it is to dogs.
This tapeworm has not been reported in Oxford County yet, but Dr. Lock says you should be cautious.
"If you have a dog that tends to roam out in the country-side, in the wild, it might be exposed to other animals and their feces that are infected, your animal might get infected."
As of July of this year it became mandatory for all veterinarians to report the tapeworm to their local health unit if they ever find it.
You can find tapeworm eggs in the fecal matter of an infected animal. A human could contract it if they came into contact with the feces and didn't properly wash their hands before eating.
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