NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- Tiny infectious worm eggs were discovered in parks across New York City which can be dangerous to children prone to eating dirt.
Toxocara is a parasite that lives in animals’ muscles and digestive systems that can spread to humans via cat and dog feces.
Usually, this would only happen by consuming infected dirt.
That means parents should be careful if their grubby little kids are prone to eating worms or other dirt adjacent material.
Most cases are asymptomatic, but some cause fever, fatigue, coughing, rash or abdominal pain.
In rare cases, the parasites can spread to the eye causing blindness and neurological damage.
The CDC estimates about 70 people, mostly children, go blind yearly from toxocariasis in the U.S.
The highest risk is in the Bronx, where toxocara was found in 67% of dirt samples, according to a study from New York University and the University of Oklahoma. The rate in the other boroughs hovers between 30 and 40%.
The study attributes this disparity to the rate of strays which aren’t able to undergo deworming treatments.
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