![Jordanian rescue teams use a dog as they search for 10 people still missing under the rubble of a collapsed four-storey building in the capital Amman on September 14, 2022, a day after 5 bodies were recovered there [KHALIL MAZRAAWI/AFP via Getty Images]](https://i0.wp.com/www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/GettyImages-1243220015-scaled-e1663175959993.jpeg?resize=1200%2C800&quality=85&strip=all&zoom=1&ssl=1)
Dog and cat owners in Jordan have been advised to take precautions amid a reported outbreak of cystic echinococcosis, a tapeworm disease that if left untreated may lead to death. The disease can be transmitted to humans from the animals.
According to a Senior Consultant of Thoracic Surgery, Dr Nayef Fariwan, the disease is common in the Arab region in general, as well as East Asia, Iran and other countries. It is transmitted by dogs and cats through their faeces.
Dr Fariwan pointed out that when a person eats contaminated food including vegetables or uncooked meat, the worm enters the human body and a cyst develops. He stressed that the liver infection rate is 70 per cent and the lungs 30 per cent; in other cases, both the liver and lungs are affected together.
The symptoms take time to manifest themselves, he explained. The cyst begins to swell, putting pressure on the liver, diaphragm and lungs, making the patient experience pain and shortness of breath. In some cases, the cyst may rupture within the body, causing a reaction that may lead to death.
Treatment, said Dr Fariwan, takes place in two stages: the first involves the removal of canine cysts followed by medication for a period of 3 to 6 months. He called for fruit and vegetables to be washed thoroughly before eating; milk coming farms where dogs are kept not to be consumed, because it might be contaminated; and for meat to be cooked properly before being eaten.
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