Toxo what? Toxoplasmosis is a disease that affects two billion people worldwide and in some countries, has been cited as the leading cause of blindness.

Scientists are just starting to probe the disease in depth. By and large, it lies dormant in our brains, eyes and muscles. In fact, it is found in every warm blooded animal that has been tested for its presence. It’s adaptability and its spread is unprecedented. But what causes it?

While many people have always advised against contact with cats if in contact with pregnancy, not everyone knows the real reason why. The issue was recently highlighted in a report featured on Australian news feature programme Sunday Night, under the title: Toxo Terror.

Toxoplasmosis is caused by microscopic parasites that burrow into your brain tissue and there is no way to get rid of them. In healthy adults, the presence of toxoplasmosis has been linked to increased material spending, promiscuity, road rage and the incidence of schizophrenia.

In many people, the bug lays dormant. If it invades your system, it takes just a few minutes to zip around the bloodstream and embed itself in a nice, tasty part of the body. Once you contract it, there is no way to get rid of it. As mentioned, in most cases it lies dormant. But if the parasites break out of their cist like cocoons, adults can be affected by flu like symptoms.

But the strangest thing about Toxo, is that it is only able to reproduce in cats – in their intestines – to be more precise. In essence, this means that their larvae are excreted by the animals and then passed on to humans and other creatures. The eggs can live for up to a year in soil, sandpits, or wherever. Once ingested or transmitted into the bloodstream, they become active once more and seek to burrow their way into our most precious of organs.

While cats are the conduit, researchers are quick to point out that cats alone are not to blame. Toxoplasmosis larvae can be splashed up onto vegetables, you can get them if you handle soil in gardens and you can also ingest it through eating uncooked meat. One woman on the show recalled eating a carpaccio hors d’oeuvres at a reception when she was pregnant. As a result, her child was born blind, and only regained partial sight in one eye after intensive treatment and a very early diagnosis.

In fact, the biggest threat is to women who have never had Toxoplasmosis, but who get it for the first time during pregnancy. If that first contact is in the first trimester of pregnancy, they will lose the baby. In the second trimester, the baby may die or will be born with severe brain damage. If the mother gets first-time Toxoplasmosis in the third trimester, the baby may have serious brain damage or minor eye damage.

If Toxo is acquired in the latter stages of pregnancy, and the mother is aware, then there is treatment, which is often successful. Once infected, the body builds up anti-bodies, which prevent a re-infection.

Another young woman appeared on the show with her husband. They lost a child due to her contracting the disease during early pregnancy. The interview with both was heartrending, but they have perhaps honoured the memory of their child by sharing their ordeal with the world. It is people like this, people with courage and huge hearts, who spread the message and raise awareness.

Experts say there are ways to mitigate the chances of contracting the disease – by not eating undercooked or raw meat, washing hands, emptying kitty litters every 24 hours, scrubbing raw vegetables, avoiding uncovered sand pits in playgrounds. But especially, pregnant women should get tested for it as soon as possible. Sadly, those who have lost their sight, or a child, will never get what they have lost back. People should be aware, and listen to these stories, to prevent tragedies of their own.