The "Fox disease" detected in the Nord Pas-de-Calais: how to avoid this dangerous disease for humans?

Do you consume vegetables grown in a non-fenced vegetable garden, often walk your dog in the wild or sometimes handle foxes? Better to be cautious, because many cases ofechinococcosis alveolar were detected on foxes in the North and Pas-de-Calais.

This disease comes from tapeworm, a worm that takes up residence in the stomachs of foxes, hence the name "Fox diseasePhilippe Wartelle, President of the Association for the Support and Defense of People with Alveolar Echicoccosis (ASDPCEA), based at Cappelle-en-Pévèle, insists on the dangers of this disease "which concerns everyone"and "not only affects the users of nature."

How is the disease caught?

The tapeworms causing the disease are eaten by voles, in turn eaten by the fox which they parasitize the stomach. They lay then "200 eggs every ten days" and these eggs, which are found on the droppings of the animal, remain contaminant for two months.

It is sufficient that one of these eggs comes into contact with a vegetable or the coat of a dog so that it can then be transmitted to the man. The symptoms do not appear for several years, since as recalled by Philippe Wartelle, echinococcosis requires "between five and ten years of incubation ". And to add: "It develops and it does not hurt. When it starts to hurt, it's already badly engaged …"

Why is it dangerous?

The disease can be fatal if not treated in time … especially as "many cases are confused with liver cancer, jaundice or hepatitis."

A few years ago, "uno 41-year-old lady who handled foxes was dead in the Orne"Another man, treated for liver cancer, learned a few weeks before his death that he was suffering from echinococcosis."Cases like that, I'm full!"

The Nordist counts 40 positive cases in France each year, 800 since 1981. The difference is that "today, we do not die"… provided they are treated in time.

Because in the historical center of the disease, in Franche-Comté, the doctors are very well informed and the Besançon hospital has a specialized service. Mostly, Social Security reimburses 100% of the costs. "In Franche-Comté, doctors know how to recognize echinococcosis, but outside, they do not necessarily think about it. "

Sensitization in the Hauts-de-France is therefore not only with users, but also with medical staff.

How to protect yourself?

Here are the main tips for not risking contagion:

• Wash hands before each meal.
• Rinse under running water the fruits and vegetables picked, especially if they come from a non-fenced vegetable garden.
• Cook the vegetables as much as possible: cooking at 60 ° C destroys the parasite, but freezing does not kill it.
• Deworm your dog or cat at least twice a year.
• Do not bring your hands to your mouth during activities in kind.
• Wear disposable gloves when handling foxes.

The urgency of raising awareness

Despite these dangers, we hear little about this disease. The ASDPCEA of Philippe Wartelle is mobilized at the level of walking trails in the forests. "There is never any specific information on this. Too bad !"entrusts a jogger, for whom"It's a first."

Aline's life would have been different if she had known what she was suffering from being operated on for a huge liver tumor in 2012.

"The doctor was convinced for him that it was a cancer, but fortunately he sent to the badysis", where we realized that"it was an alveolar echinococcosis. I want to know it just so that it does not happen to others, simply. My story, I wish it to anyone !"

Especially in six years, foxes have come even closer to cities, warns Philippe Wartelle: "He has more and more, they are at the gates of Lille! In the suburbs of Lille, there are some, at Le Touquet the foxes wander at night in the streets. So fox droppings with contaminating eggs are everywhere, you really have to be careful !"