WHAT CAN BE DONE? People, especially young children or those who are immunocompromised, should be discouraged from sharing their bed with their pets or regularly kissing their pets. Any area licked by a pet, especially an open wound, should be immediately washed with soap and water. Pets should be kept free of parasites, especially fleas; routinely de-wormed; and regularly examined by a veterinarian. Preventive measures such as administering anthelmintic drugs for flatworms -- and drugs for flukes, tapeworms and other parasites -- to puppies or kittens within the first few weeks after birth or, even better, to their mothers during the last few weeks of pregnancy. This could help prevent most cases of human toxocariasis, which can cause severe and sometimes permanent vision problems for young children.