Zoonotic diseases are those that can be transmitted from animals to humans. The European Center for Disease Control (ECDC) has produced a document that has shown that our country is above the European average and we are increasing.
The number of pathologies contracted by humans through animals has increased in Spain by 46% since 2014. At that time, more than 263,000 patients due to zoonoses were registered.
Today there are 20 million companion animals registered in our country, as published by the Madrid Association of Companion Animal Veterinarians (AMVAC) in 2017. With these data it is concluded that over 40% of the families of Our country enjoys a pet, so it is not surprising that the number of cases of zoonosis patients has increased. In addition, it must be taken into account that many animals are not counted, so the percentage is possibly higher.
There are 200 types of zoonoses that you can get if you do not prevent
Up to 75% of the pathologies suffered by man come from a zoonotic origin. These are not a few diseases, up to a total of 200 pathologies can be transmitted by animals even putting our health and the well-being of the society (rational and irrational) that lives with it in serious danger.
Because even if we do not have a pet, we can contract these pathologies through food or because of the migratory movements of some species, among others.
However, contagion by a companion animal is the most likely case in recent times due to the considerable increase in the presence of irrational friends in our homes. Our little ones become an essential part of the family nucleus but they can infect other members if they do not put prevention.
The ways in which pets transmit diseases to us are: through scratches, contact with their saliva or through their feces, among others. Depending on the pet that a person lives with, there is a greater risk of suffering from some diseases than others.
An example that many of us know is toxoplasmosis that cats can infect us. The risk that pregnant women run is known, although there is a lot of legend around this disease. A cat could infect a pregnant woman if he were infected and if the feces of this animal were in contact with the internal organism of the woman. It is difficult but extreme caution should be exercised if you have a sick feline with this parasite because it could cause brain damage and blindness in the fetus. Although it will never be a reason to abandon the animal.
Another easy way to get a zoonosis is the tick: it grabs a hairy one and then its owners. These parasites transmit Lyme disease , which causes a red rash at the bite site and flu-like symptoms. If not treated in time, it could lead to joint inflammation and neurological problems.
The most common symptoms of these diseases in our pets are: hair loss outside the molting season, diarrhea or visually different stools than usual, vomiting or lack of appetite, among others.
This type of pathologies can be solved by putting prevention on them . “Most of these diseases can be avoided if hygiene prevails in your home. Keeping a clean house is synonymous with health, and even more so when living with pets ”, recommends the spokesperson for Limpiezas Express.
Deworm and vaccinate our best friends periodically and following the calendar set by the veterinarian and go to a professional when we sense symptoms are two other rules that we should not skip.
Other measures to follow are: do not give them raw meat or offal (only feed recommended by veterinarians).
Source: Comunicae
