The hidden risks of kissing puppies and loving animals

A zoonotic disease is an infectious disease caused by a bacteria or a virus or a parasite, which is spread by animals. It can also be spread by biting, as in rabies, or through various vectors such as mosquitoes, or directly through air, such as different types of influenza.Zoonotic disease may present as a mild minor skin infection, such as ringworm, or deadly infection, such as rabies. Psittacosis, which infects the lungs, comes from exposure to poultry, and brucellosis, which presents with fever, sweating, body ache and joint pains, has been found from drinking unpasteurised milk.Capnocytophaga are germs found in the mouth of dogs and cats which you can contract from a lick or a bite. It can present one with fever, diarrhoea and vomiting, headaches or muscle joint pains, and if bitten, blisters and redness around the wound. Also 30 per cent get severe infections and die. medium nocaption82292174These infections are more common with those who have a weak immune system, like diabetics, alcoholics and cancer patients, more particularly on chemotherapy. Reports of capnocytophaga from only dogs licks without bites are also known. Zoonotic disease also presents with symptoms of gastroenteritis; we also know that between 2007 and 2019 more than 350 outbreaks of zoonotic disease because of animal contact were reported by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).It is noteworthy that 60 per cent of all known infectious diseases are zoonotic and cause 2.5 billion cases of illnesses in humans, resulting in 2.7 million deaths worldwide. It is not necessary that only a sick animal transmits the disease. Contact with its cages, or where the animals roam freely, or stepping on its faeces, or even coming in contact with the urine of the animal may cause the disease.Like many infectious diseases, young children, adults over 65 years, pregnant women, diabetics and cancer patients are more prone to the disease, and it is advisable that children below five years of age should limit contact with animals. In particular children who play with the toys that the animal has had in its mouth. In fact, the CDC advises that pregnant patients who keep cats should not change the cat litter.All pets can transmit zoonotic illness, and pets are more likely to transmit zoonotic infections (these include lizards, turtles, frogs, and rodents as well). Many recent outbreaks are linked to pets. Though having pets is associated with several health advantages, like lowering stress and increasing happiness levels, there are also hidden risks of kissing puppies or handling dog excreta. medium nocaption82292192Coronavirus can infect animals as well, but infection from animal to people is uncommon. There is no evidence as yet that pets can spread coronavirus, though SARS and MERS are also coronavirus, which originated from animals and spread to people. It is important for pet lovers to wash hands after handling animals, their food and waste. If you are sick with Covid-19, limit your contact with the pet, although there are so far no records of human to animal transmission cases out in the public.The other problem is the disease spread by pigeons and parrots, psittacosis, which causes high fever, pneumonia and splenic enlargement. Pigeon droppings also lead to interstitial lung disease, which causes the space between the air cells of the lungs to be thickened and fibrosed. The end result is that the air we breathe in cannot enter through these fibrous tissues to the blood.From the time of diagnosis, if my memory serves me correctly, the longevity of a person is reduced to at most five years. In a study published in the European Respiratory Journal by Christine Cramer, the article addresses the issue between the risk of pigeon breeding and lung diseases and pneumonia. And how pigeon breeders are at 56 per cent increased risk of it.It is great to be an animal lover, and have pets, but we need to be careful about the diseases spread by them. Sporadic cases of rabies reported in the West from travellers returning from Asia raise much concern. It is apparent that a cat bite is not the only mode of transmission of rabies, since the saliva is present on its nails, a mere scratch is enough to give you rabies, which is a uniformly fatal disease. It is also necessary to tell your doctor about your exposure to animals for a correct diagnosisOne cannot help natural diseases from killing you, despite the care you take, but by throwing caution to the wind, do not fall a victim to zoonotic disease.Dr Altaf Patel writes on good medicine and age-old common sense(Disclaimer: The views expressed here are the author's own)From the same author:- Can talcum powder give women cancer?-Can a 'happy pill' really improve your mood?-Is your doctor treating you or your expensive test reports?Untitled Carousel 82182746