Raccoon Disease Blinds NY Teen

Health officials issue alert over raccoon ringworm

By Amelia Atlas, Newser User

Posted May 3, 2009 6:45 AM CDT

(Newser) – New York playgrounds are on alert as two reported cases of a rare, fatal disease spread by raccoons has blinded a Brooklyn teen in one eye and left an infant with brain damage, reports the New York Daily News. Raccoon ringworm is a disease contracted through the animal's feces that attacks the nervous system. City health officials are advising parents to keep an eye on small children.

"The concern for me would be kids being kids," worried one mother. "When they're slightly out of sight, they're going to pick up something in the course of their normal behavior and put their filthy hands in their mouths."

A raccoon wanders a city street. (©_cck_)

Raccoon Ringworm is contracted through the animal's feces. Symptoms include nausea, blindness, and loss of muscle control. (©liza31337)

A raccoon peers out from a hole in a tree. (AP Photo/Amy Sancetta)

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Wild Raccoons Invade School, Pee on Student

Florida middle school becoming an infested, urine-dripping mess: parents

Malaria Deaths Plummet 20% Over Decade

Dozens of countries poised to eliminate disease

Obama: Brace for Swine Flu Outbreak

Calls for 'vigilance,' not 'panic'

Too Much Talking Can Lead to 'Cell Phone Elbow'

Stretched nerve threatens long chatters

Mexico's First Flu Death Exposes Containment Trouble

Response quick, but follow-up efforts weak

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OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

health advisories • disease control • raccoons • Raccoon Ringworm

MOST POPULAR STORIES

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Wild Raccoons Invade School, Pee on Student

Florida middle school becoming an infested, urine-dripping mess: parents

Malaria Deaths Plummet 20% Over Decade

Dozens of countries poised to eliminate disease

Obama: Brace for Swine Flu Outbreak

Calls for 'vigilance,' not 'panic'

Too Much Talking Can Lead to 'Cell Phone Elbow'

Stretched nerve threatens long chatters

Mexico's First Flu Death Exposes Containment Trouble

Response quick, but follow-up efforts weak

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Newser By Users

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