Cats and dogs can carry at least 30 infectious diseases that may be transferred to humans, but pet owners and health-care workers are often unaware of the threat, according to a study released Sunday.
"Fortunately, despite close contact with these pets the number of (such) illnesses in humans is relatively low," said the report from Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine in Rootstown, Ohio."There are more than 110 million pet dogs and cats in the United States," the study said. "These pets are found in 70 percent of households and have been directly or indirectly linked with the transmission of at least 30 infectious agents to humans.
"Pet owners often are not aware of and most health-care workers are not trained to recognize these . . . diseases," said the report published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, a journal issued by the American Medical Association.
James Tan, author of the report, suggested pets should not be allowed to defecate on beaches or playgrounds; that animal feces be immediately removed from yards and playgrounds and not be used as fertilizer; that hands be washed after contact with a pet and medical attention be sought for every animal bite, no matter how small.