Claim: A recent invasion of New Guinea Flatworms in Florida poses a significant risk to human health and a sighting of this non-native animal should be reported to authorities by calling 911.
Verdict: REFUTES

Retrieved passages:
title: Platydemus manokwari as an invasive species
text: Platydemus manokwari as an invasive species "Platydemus manokwari", also known as the New Guinea flatworm, is a large predatory land flatworm that has become an invasive species in many countries. Native to New Guinea, it was accidentally introduced to the soil of many countries. It was also deliberately introduced into two Pacific islands in an attempt to control an invasion of the Giant East African Snail. It eats a variety of invertebrates including land snails, and has had a significant negative impact on the rare endemic land snail fauna of some Pacific islands. It has become established in a wide

title: Platydemus manokwari
text: Platydemus manokwari Platydemus manokwari, also known as the New Guinea flatworm, is a species of large predatory land flatworm. Native to New Guinea, it has been accidentally introduced to the soil of many countries, including the US. It was also deliberately introduced into two Pacific islands in an attempt to control an invasion of the Giant East African Snail. It eats a variety of invertebrates including land snails, and has had a significant negative impact on the rare endemic land snail fauna of some Pacific islands. It has become established in a wide variety of habitats. This flatworm is relatively

title: Platydemus manokwari as an invasive species
text: This is because the species is such an efficient and active predator that species that its controls prey populations and prevents them from recovering. Although beneficial for farmers and agriculture of the area, this decrease of snail population is problematic because it can drastically alter the food webs and interactions between endemic organisms in the island, which can then affect the delicate ecosystem of the islands. Thus, it is uncertain how ecosystems will change with persisting predation by "P. manokwari". Platydemus manokwari as an invasive species "Platydemus manokwari", also known as the New Guinea flatworm, is a large predatory land

title: Flatworm
text: or life-threatening. However, neurocysticercosis resulting from penetration of "T. solium" larvae into the central nervous system is the major cause of acquired epilepsy worldwide. In 2000, about 39 million people were infected with trematodes (flukes) that naturally parasitize fish and crustaceans, but can pass to humans who eat raw or lightly cooked seafood. Infection of humans by the broad fish tapeworm "Diphyllobothrium latum" occasionally causes vitamin B deficiency and, in severe cases, megaloblastic anemia. The threat to humans in developed countries is rising as a result of social trends: the increase in organic farming, which uses manure and sewage sludge

title: Environment of Florida
text: protected. Native flora is threatened by various invasive plants, including the Brazilian pepper ("Schinus terebinthifolius"). Possession and cultivation of this tree is illegal. Large numbers of volunteers periodically cut down these invaders, particularly along waterways. The Australian pine ("Casuarina" spp.) is being actively controlled to prevent it from spreading. Other foreign pests include the Asian ambrosia beetle ("Xyleborus glabratus") threatens the local avocado industry and redbay trees ("Persea borbonia"). It is illegal to import giant African land snails ("Achatina fulica"). These threaten buildings, 500 types of local plants, and carry meningitis. In 2015, the land flatworm "Platydemus manokwari" was reported

title: Flatworm
text: countries usually cannot afford the cost of fuel required to cook food thoroughly enough to kill parasites. Controlling parasites that infect humans and livestock has become more difficult, as many species have become resistant to drugs that used to be effective, mainly for killing juveniles in meat. While poorer countries still struggle with unintentional infection, cases have been reported of intentional infection in the US by dieters who are desperate for rapid weight-loss. There is concern in northwest Europe (including the British Isles) regarding the possible proliferation of the New Zealand planarian "Arthurdendyus triangulatus" and the Australian flatworm "Australoplana sanguinea",

title: New Zealand flatworm
text: New Zealand flatworm The New Zealand flatworm ("Arthurdendyus triangulatus") is a large land flatworm native to New Zealand. It can vary from 5 mm in length when hatched to approximately in mature adults. The New Zealand flatworm is considered an invasive species in parts of Europe. The ventral surface of the flatworm is a pale buff colour while the dorsal surface is dark brown. Young flatworms vary in colour from white to pale orange and develop their adult colouration as they grow. During the day, flatworms can be found resting on the surface of soil underneath objects in close contact

title: Florida woods cockroach
text: parts from dead specimens. The species is reported in the West Indies and in a limited southeastern region of United States, consisting of the state of Florida, and coastal regions of Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, Mississippi, Louisiana, south and southeast Texas, and southeast North Carolina. It is considered adventive, but not established, in the Canadian provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia. The wasp species "Aprostocetus hagenowii" is an egg parasite of several species of cockroaches, including "E. floridana". The small, parasitic wasp deposits its eggs into the ootheca of the cockroach, resulting in an average of 648 parasites

title: Toxocara cati
text: for any unusual behavior within animals of populations. The transect studies, however, need suspicion of infection in order to be implemented. To that end, many DNR (Department of Natural Resources) and other wildlife organizations (such as the US Geological Survey) allow people to provide information regarding suspicion of infection. These organizations will then have people fill out a sheet detailing the mortality event. For organizations such as the DNR, reporting individuals that have been viewed aids in the detection of individuals infected by roundworm. The contacted DNR will then proceed with the proper procedures to work on dealing with the

title: New Zealand flatworm
text: New Zealand flatworm is an invasive species in Europe, feeding there almost exclusively on earthworms. This degrades soil quality. European earthworm predators are reluctant to eat it although cases of frogs and beetle larvae consuming flatworms have been recorded. It has been seen in England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Faroe Islands. It might have arrived in the early 1960s, being first recorded in Belfast in 1963. The New Zealand flatworm is easily transported accidentally in plant pots in adult or egg form. They tend to be common in garden centres and may have arrived in the UK with exotic

title: Toxocara cati
text: possibility of roundworm infestation in the area. Many agencies use fecal matter testing and studies to identify the presence of parasites within a population. Agencies take the fecal matter of a suspected population and test the contents for the presence of eggs or remains of adults. Many parasites often pass their eggs through the animal’s fecal matter. Identification is paramount to reduce the chance of disease or mortality. Soil samples around the fecal matter are also taken and tested in order to ensure that there is an active roundworm population. Road kill samples also prove to be a way to

title: Cochliomyia hominivorax
text: may occasionally infest an old and putrid wound, screw-worm maggots are unusual because they attack healthy tissue. Screw-worms are a reportable species in the United States, which means that if screw-worms are discovered on livestock, this discovery must be reported to the State Veterinarian. Screw-worm females lay 250-500 eggs in the exposed flesh of warm-blooded animals, including humans, such as in wounds and the navels of newborn animals. The larvae hatch and burrow into the surrounding tissue as they feed. Should the wound be disturbed during this time, the larvae burrow or "screw" deeper into the flesh, thus the insect's

title: Dracunculiasis
text: during the dry season, when ponds and lakes are smaller and copepods are thus more concentrated in them. Guinea worm disease outbreaks can cause serious disruption to local food supplies and school attendance. The infection can be acquired by eating a fish paratenic host, but this is rare. No reservoir hosts are known; that is, each generation of worms must pass through a human – or possibly a dog. Until recently humans and water fleas ("Cyclops") were regarded as the only animals this parasite infects. It has been shown that baboons, cats, dogs, frogs and catfish ("Synodontis") can also be

title: Cochliomyia
text: program was then applied throughout the southern United States, and eventually adopted through much of Mexico in 1972 and parts of Central and South America. The primary screwworm was completely eradicated from the southern United States in 1966 and from Mexico in 1991. Livestock there continue to be vulnerable, however, and strict laws regarding animal inspection and reporting of suspected infestations remain in place. A new screwworm infestation in the Florida Keys was first reported in October, 2016, which was mostly in the key deer population, along with five confirmed infestations in domestic animals. In response, the USDA released over

title: Dirofilaria immitis
text: for the animal is a manifestation of damage to the lung vessels and tissues. Occasionally, adult heartworms migrate to the right heart and even the great veins in heavy infestations. Heartworm infection may result in serious disease for the host, with death typically as the result of congestive heart failure. Although at one time confined to the southern United States, heartworm has now spread to nearly all locations where its mosquito vector is found. Transmission of the parasite occurs in all of the United States (cases have even been reported in Alaska), and the warmer regions of Canada. The highest

title: Flatworm
text: much greater success than most biological pest control programs, which generally aim for a low, stable population of the pest species. The ability of planarians to take different kinds of prey and to resist starvation may account for their ability to decimate "A. fulica". However, these abilities have raised concerns that planarians may themselves become a serious threat to native snails. A study in La Plata, Argentina, shows the potential for planarians such as "Girardia anceps", "Mesostoma ehrenbergii", and "Bothromesostoma evelinae" to reduce populations of the mosquito species "Aedes aegypti" and "Culex pipiens". The experiment showed that "G. anceps" in

title: Toxocara canis
text: Regular deworming by a veterinarian is important to stop canine re-infections, especially if the dog is frequently outdoors. Good practices to prevent human infections include: washing hands before eating and after disposing of animal feces in a timely manner as many disinfectants do not kill eggs, teaching children not to eat soil, and cooking meat to a safe temperature in order to kill potentially infectious eggs. Toxocara canis Toxocara canis (also known as dog roundworm) is worldwide-distributed helminth parasite of dogs and other canids. "Toxocara canis" is gonochoristic, adult worms measure from 9 to 18 cm, are yellow-white in color,

title: Flatworm
text: Cestoda was monogenean and most likely sanguinivorous. The earliest known fossils of tapeworms have been dated to , after being found in coprolites (fossilised faeces) from an elasmobranch. Cestodes (tapeworms) and digeneans (flukes) cause diseases in humans and their livestock, whilst monogeneans can cause serious losses of stocks in fish farms. Schistosomiasis, also known as bilharzia or snail fever, is the second-most devastating parasitic disease in tropical countries, behind malaria. The Carter Center estimated 200 million people in 74 countries are infected with the disease, and half the victims live in Africa. The condition has a low mortality rate, but

title: Eradication of dracunculiasis
text: host for Guinea worm, and there is no evidence that "D. medinensis" has ever been reintroduced to humans in any formerly endemic country as the result of non-human infections, the disease can be controlled by identifying all cases and modifying human behavior to prevent it from recurring. Once all human cases are eliminated, the disease cycle will be broken, resulting in its eradication. The eradication of Guinea worm disease has faced several challenges: In January 2012 the WHO meeting at the Royal College of Physicians in London launched the most ambitious and largest coalition health project ever, known as "London

title: Dracunculiasis
text: infection is identified before an ulcer forms, the worm can also be surgically removed by a trained doctor in a medical facility. Although Guinea worm disease is usually not fatal, the wound where the worm emerges could develop a secondary bacterial infection such as tetanus, which may be life-threatening—a concern in endemic areas where there is typically limited or no access to health care. Analgesics can be used to help reduce swelling and pain and antibiotic ointments can help prevent secondary infections at the wound site. At least in the Northern region of Ghana, the Guinea worm team found that