echinococcosis, parasitic disease due to tapeworm, spreads in the Hexagon

France is increasingly threatened by alveolar echinoccocosis. If the name evokes nothing for you, let's talk about the tapeworm: more familiar with our language, this worm is lodged in the liver, causing illness and death. Walkers, hunters, gardeners, children playing in sandboxes or lawns soiled by foxes, echinococcosis is waiting for everyone. Formerly limited to Franche-Comté, with the increase of the population of foxes, the tapeworm extends and it is now recorded in all regions of France.

We are in Cappelle-en-Pévèle, in the Hauts-de-France, in the garden of Jean-Jacques De Keyser. He points to the orchard bordering his fence. "There is a den, over there … We even saw some fox cubs!" To pick raspberries, currants and blackcurrants from the garden. Jean-Jacques de Keyser has set strict rules with his children: "It is me who picks the fruits, and in height, they are sensitized on the subject and I ask them not to take fruit found on the ground."

The first cases appeared three years ago in the Hauts-de-France. Originally contaminated voles, then eaten by foxes. "The fox catches a worm called the tapewormexplains Philippe Wartelle, president of the badociation of support and defense of people contaminated by alveolar echinococcosis. A tainted fox loose about two hundred eggs every ten days. "

These eggs contaminate the man when he puts his hands in his mouth … It is the disease of the dirty hands, in fact!Philippe Wartelleat franceinfo

Microscopic eggs in dung, in fox hair, put in the mouth and after 5 to 10 years in the human body attack the liver. "If you are not diagnosed in time, you aggravate the illness and death is common", warns Frédéric Musy, vice-president of the support badociation for contaminated people. From 40 cases a year in France a few years ago, mostly limited to Franche-Comté, we have increased to 70 cases.

Echinococcosis is spreading in all regions of France and is under diagnosed, warns Philippe Wartelle. Indeed, the disease is very little known to doctors and often confused with liver cancer or cirrhosis. "Take the example of a pregnant woman, who will do her ultrasound, and that her doctor accuses of drinkingexplains Philippe Wartelle. She did not drink, but her doctor did not want to believe her. She had been treated as an alcoholic while she had echinococcosis. " The instructions are simple to guard against echinococcosis: never touch fox with bare hands, after going out in the wild, always wash your hands and wash well and cook foods such as mushrooms or vegetables.

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