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Parasite spread by cats may have cost 10,000 New Zealanders their sight

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Newstalk ZB,
Publish Date
Mon, 19 May 2025, 4:05pm

Parasite spread by cats may have cost 10,000 New Zealanders their sight

Author
Newstalk ZB,
Publish Date
Mon, 19 May 2025, 4:05pm

Ten thousand New Zealanders may have lost vision – sometimes permanently – because of toxoplasmosis, an infection triggered by a parasite spread by cats.

University of Otago researchers estimate 40,000 people are affected by ocular toxoplasmosis – one in four seriously – but their efforts to develop new treatments are being hampered by a lack of funding.

Dr. Francesc March, an Ophthalmology Consultant at Otago University, joined the Afternoons team to discuss.

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