4 Diseases that pets can transmit to humans

When pets are properly vaccinated and given all the care they need, they are less likely to get sick. However, there are other factors that can affect your health, such as going outside and living in areas that have a high risk of developing a certain disease.

In this regard, in addition to worrying about the health of pets because we care about them, we must take into account that there are diseases that pets can transmit to humans as well. These diseases are called zoonotic diseases.

as zoonotic diseases

So we can emphasize that zoonoses are diseases that can be passed on to us by animals – in general, not just pets. There are many known zoonotic diseases that come from different agents, from bacteria, fungi, parasites, and viruses.

They are public health problems, and therefore, in general, states and municipalities have programs to control and prevent these diseases.

Find out some of the zoonotic diseases you can get from your pet and the risks to your health:

anger

This disease is almost 100% fatal because its causative virus, of the family Rhabdoviridae, infects nervous tissue and thus leads to death in most cases.

Transmission can be through contact with saliva, bites, or scratches from infected animals. In humans, the first symptoms take 30 to 50 days to appear and can cause excessive excitement, paralysis, and drooling.

However, to prevent and ensure the pet’s health, it is also sufficient for both of them to take the rabies vaccine.

sporotrichosis

Transmission of this zoonotic disease can be through contact with the saliva of sick cats or scratches.

Caused by the fungus Sportothrix schenckii, it lives naturally in soil and plants, so it is possible to shrink it by moving the soil without gloves, if you have any injuries.

The main sign of this disease is the appearance of a large bump on the skin that causes pain and grows until pus forms. If left untreated, it will spread through the body and cause respiratory problems.

Toxoplasmosis

Finally, we have toxoplasmosis, a well-known disease, and the parasite that causes this disease (Toxoplasma gondii) uses cats as a host.

To become infected, only come into contact with infected cat feces or water and food contaminated with cysts of the parasite.

This animal disease can cause serious problems for pregnant women and fetuses, and immunocompromised people are also affected by this disease.

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