Doctors from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the
US conducted a large-scale survey of the cat-borne bacterial disease cat
scratch fever.
They found the
scope and impact of the potentially deadly disease was larger than they
thought.
The disease causes fever, pustules and in extreme cases, the
complications from the illness can cause death.
The doctors have
warned that hands should always be washed after touching cats, and to avoid
kissing felines where possible.
They also advised cat owners ensure their pet is protected from
fleas.
Dr. Christina
Nelson of the CDC said: "The scope and impact of the disease is a little
bit larger than we thought,
"Cat-scratch is preventable. If we can identify the populations
at risk and the patterns of disease, we can focus the prevention efforts."
Kittens and
strays are more likely to carry the disease. The disease is spread when you are
scratched by an infected cat, or when you don't wash your hands and touch your
mouth after stroking an infected cat.
Kissing and rough play with stray cats and kittens should also
be avoided where possible.
Cat owners
should also be careful about their animals interacting with stray cats where
possible.
However, the disease is relatively rare, with the survey finding
that annual incidence was 4.5 outpatient diagnoses/100,000 population.
This is more than expected, but is rare enough to mean you
aren't putting your life hugely at risk by kissing a kitten.
Source:
Telegraph.co.uk
No comments:
Post a Comment