Hampton, VA Tops List on CAPC Top 10 Cities Monthly Roundworm Report
The Companion Animal Parasite Council (CAPC) today issued the CAPC Top 10 Cities Monthly ROUNDWORM Report for the past month, with Hampton, VA topping the list as No. 1 across the country.
The new monthly report alerts pet parents, veterinarians and pet-related services about the threat of roundworm infection — a zoonotic, parasitic disease threatening the health of both pets and people. The report identifies US metro areas experiencing the highest percentage increase in positive roundworm tests in the last 30 days.
“The recent outbreak of Covid-19, with its animal origin, has made people acutely aware of the close relationship between animal and human health — and the need to regularly monitor disease at the local level,” said Dr. Chris Carpenter, CAPC’s CEO. “With the ever-present threat of roundworm infections – particularly during fall and winter months – CAPC expands its decade-long mission to regularly monitor parasitic diseases in communities across the US with its new CAPC Top 10 Cities Monthly ROUNDWORM Report.”
Roundworm can be lethal, particularly for puppies and kittens. In national data collected Sept.1 – 30, 2020, these 10 US cities had the highest percentage increase in positive roundworm tests:
1) Hampton, VA
2) Anchorage, AK
3) Port St. Lucie, FL
4) El Paso, TX
5) Cheyenne, WY
6) San Francisco, CA
7) Cedar Rapids, IA
8) Syracuse, NY
9) Boise, ID
10) Fargo, ND
“An increase in roundworm prevalence not only alerts communities to a persistent threat to the health of dogs and cats, but it also warns of a significant threat to the health of children and families who can potentially contract roundworm infection,” said Dr. Craig Prior, CAPC board member.
Surveys of fecal samples from across the US show that more than 30 percent of dogs younger than 6 months of age are shedding Toxocara canis (roundworm) eggs — with CAPC parasite prevalence maps reporting positive cases of roundworm infection in both dogs and cats in all 50 states. Due to the high prevalence of roundworm, it can be assumed that virtually every puppy or kitten is infected at or soon after birth.
“This demonstrates how vital it is for dogs and cats to be protected against roundworm parasites with broad-spectrum, year-round preventatives, and at a minimum, bi-annual testing,” Prior added. “By protecting your pet, you are protecting other pets, your family, other families — and your entire community.”
“For nearly a decade, CAPC has been a national leader in monitoring parasitic diseases that threaten pets and people with timely, local disease prevalence maps,” Carpenter said. “It’s our hope that the new CAPC Top 10 Cities Monthly ROUNDWORM Report will prompt important conversations between pet owners and their veterinarians about roundworm protection.”