Since 2021, Sweden has only had two reported cases of the parasite. The most recent case occurred when a fox was shot near Borlänge last year. According to Eva Osterman Lind, a veterinarian and parasitologist at the State Veterinary Institute, occasional cases are not surprising as the parasite is expected to be found in patches across the country. However, the risk of falling ill from the parasite in Borlänge is low, so residents do not need to take any measures. Hunting dogs may need to be dewormed more often though. SVA is requesting more samples from fox droppings and dead foxes to investigate the spread of the parasite. The monitoring of the dwarf tapeworm is being done in collaboration with the Jägerförbundet and is financed by the Swedish Agricultural Agency. The goal is to collect 3,000 samples over the three-year monitoring period.
Since 2021, only two finds of the parasite have been made in Sweden. The current case was a fox that was shot last year on Kalkberget, just south of Borlänge.
“It is not surprising to come across occasional cases when you start looking. The parasite can be expected to be found in patches in the country, something that the 2011–2014 monitoring showed. In the ongoing surveillance, we are taking samples from all over the country, but only one new case has been found before, that was in 2021 in Kungsbacka municipality,” says Eva Osterman Lind, veterinarian and parasitologist at the State Veterinary Institute (SVA), in a press release.
But living in Borlänge do not need to take any measures as the risk of falling ill according to SVA is deemed to be so small. Hunting dogs may need to be dewormed more often because they can also become infected, although without showing any symptoms.
SVA welcomes more samples from, among other things, fox droppings and dead foxes in order to investigate the spread of the parasite.
The monitoring of the fox’s dwarf tapeworm is done in collaboration with the Jägerförbundet and is financed by the Swedish Agricultural Agency. The goal is to get 3,000 samples in during the three years that the monitoring is ongoing.