Pets and the risk of zoonotic diseases

During Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Kenya last year, Kenyans were forced to walk to work “like the people of Israel going to Canaan” due to jammed roads. As they did so, Mr Netanyahu was spotted along Harambee Avenue walking his fluffy white dog, a troop of escorts on their guard.

The PM had flown his pet to Nairobi, and he could have been benefitting so much from the 10-year-old pup without realising it, as research has shown that people who own pets make less visits to the doctor and have lower blood pressure than non-owners.

There are, however, zoonotic threats that come with sharing a common space with pets. While grooming and vaccination are essential for your own safety, very few Kenyans ever take their pets to the vets, let alone wash or shampoo them.

They keep animals close to their lives for functional reasons — cats to catch or chase away mice, dogs to guard homesteads, rabbits for meat, birds for ornamental purposes, and reptiles for their beauty.

MINIMAL DANGERS TO MAN

Dr Fransiscar Muveta, a vet based in Nairobi, says that although zoonotic diseases pose minimal dangers to man, the risks may be higher if one’s immune system is compromised, particularly for people living with HIV/Aids, those on chemotherapy or receiving radiation therapy, the elderly with congenital immune deficiencies, or those receiving organ or bone marrow transplants.

Pets, particularly dogs, should be washed and groomed regularly at least once a week or after two weeks with a shampoo that kills and prevents external parasites. Ensure you wear gloves and properly dispose them after collecting the animal’s faeces or wiping off their urine.

Pregnant women whose immune systems are altered so that their bodies can accommodate foetus are also at risk.

“But this doesn’t mean you should stay away from pets,” says Dr Muveta. “Just make sure that your pet is healthy and clean and avoid the animal’s droppings, urine.”

Diseases and infections that could be transmitted from your pet to you

Animal diseases and infections, like rabies, are transmitted through contact with infected animals through bites and scratches, or through ingestion by man. Infections can also be transmitted through vectors like ticks and mites.

Rabies: Considered to be highly infective and fatal, it affects carnivores and bats and is transmitted through bites from infected animals, mostly dogs. Once a person is bitten the virus moves through the nerve pathways to the central nervous system where it replicates. Adult dogs and cats are said to be asymptomatic while their kittens and cubs are highly infected. Rabies is deadly and cannot be treated, only controlled.

Toxocarosis: Untreated animals, mostly dogs and cats, could also carry toxocarosis, a parasitic infection. This is through worms whose larvae stage affects human beings, usually when pets secrete these in faeces which are then ingested by man if hygiene is not observed. Since man is not the host of these parasites, the larvae migrate through the organs of man and cause fatal damage. “It’s usually advisable to deworm your pets once every three months to avoid such scenarios,” says Dr Muveta.

Ring worms: This is a fungal infection that affects mostly the keratinised tissues of the body like the skin, nails, and hair, where it feeds on dead cells. It is most common in puppies and kittens and appears as a dry, oval, scruffy spots where fur has come off. Cats are known to be the main transmitter of the infection to man, says Dr Muveta. This occurs through direct contact with the infected animal. The spores of these fungi often contaminate brushes and clothes that have come into contact with the pet and are transferred to human beings via scratched skin.

Rabbit fever: This disease is caused by Francisella tularensis and is mainly associated with rabbits and rodents. It occurs in glandular form, affecting the lymph nodes, even though a more acute and severe typhoidal form affects the entire body. The organism enters someone’s body through a scratch or through inhalation, says Dr Muveta. The disease in man is characterised by high fever, painful, enlarged lymph nodes, chills, myalgia and malaise. On rare occasions it attacks the brain, heart and bones. Ticks are the most common method of spread of the disease from animals to man. It can also be transmitted in undercooked meat consumed from infected animals.

PREVENTION

These conditions can be prevented through various ways if pet owners take their animals or birds to the vets whenever they show any signs of diseases or illnesses. First, ensure that your pets are up to date with their vaccinations, especially Rabies Parvo and DHLP.

Pets, particularly dogs, should be washed and groomed regularly at least once a week or after two weeks with a shampoo that kills and prevents external parasites. Ensure you wear gloves and properly dispose them after collecting the animal’s faeces or wiping off their urine.

Always keep the pets food and water dishes separately from the family dishes and ensure that the pet’s beddings are washed frequently to avoid tick and flea infestation.