The pet ownership trend is surging as more households embrace furry companions. Owning pets provides valuable life lessons to children, fostering qualities like responsibility, compassion, and reverence for other living creatures.
However, pets, like humans, have the potential to transmit infections. To safeguard your family, it's essential to be aware of this risk and take appropriate precautions.
Pets May Transmit Infectious Diseases to Humans
Zoonotic diseases, which transfer from animals to humans, encompass over 70 pathogens present in companion animals. These diseases can be transmitted directly or indirectly, with pets serving as reservoirs for viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites.
Despite many zoonoses being underreported due to various symptoms and exposure pathways, studies suggest a low prevalence of pet-associated infections.
Dogs and cats are major sources of zoonotic infections, including rabies and Capnocytophaga bacteria. Cat-related illnesses, such as giardiasis and cat scratch disease, spread through the faecal-oral route, emphasizing the importance of proper hygiene when handling cat litter. Dogs and cats can also carry methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), posing a risk of zoonotic transmission.
But zoonotic diseases are not exclusive to cats and dogs. Other pets like birds, turtles, and fish can occasionally transmit infections like psittacosis, Salmonella, and various bacterial diseases.
Certain behaviors, such as allowing pets to lick faces or share beds, increase exposure to pet-borne pathogens. Kissing pets has also led to sporadic zoonotic infections in pet owners.
Young children, who may put their hands in their mouths after handling pets and often neglect handwashing, are at higher risk of contracting animal-related diseases. Vulnerable individuals, such as the young, elderly, pregnant, and immunosuppressed, are more likely to experience severe illnesses from zoonotic infections, like toxoplasmosis.
Keeping Safe Around Pets
Pets can transmit illness-causing germs through bites, scratches, or contact with their waste, saliva, or dander. Those at higher risk include infants, young children, pregnant women, and immunocompromised individuals.
But there are ways to stay safe from zoonotic diseases that pets may carry. Here are some tips for keeping your family safe when you have a pet:
- Take your new pet to the veterinarian for vaccinations and regular checkups.
- Teach children to wash their hands after handling pets, their food, or cleaning cages, tanks, or litter boxes.
- Use gloves when cleaning up pet waste and wear a dust mask when cleaning bird cages or coops.
- Don't let young children clean cages or litter boxes.
- Ensure kids wash their hands after visiting places with animals, like petting zoos or farms.
- Avoid kissing or touching your pet's mouth to prevent the spread of infections.
- Keep your pet's living area clean and pick up outdoor waste regularly.
- Avoid bathing pets or cleaning aquariums in the kitchen sink or bathtub.
- Steer clear of unfamiliar or sick animals, and never adopt wild animals as pets.
- Supervise children closely around pets, as they are more susceptible to infections due to close contact and hand-to-mouth behavior.
Consult your doctor for pet-related infection questions. Discuss your pet's health concerns with a veterinarian.
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