Pet Diseases that Transfer to People

Because of immunizations and things like litter boxes and flea treatments, the transfer of pet diseases to humans has greatly been reduced over the years, but there are still some diseases that people can get from pets. And most troubling, when people are infected by their pet, they usually don’t know it.

Intestinal worms are present in many animals, at various times in their lives. When first born, or while pregnant, cats and dogs can develop worms. The worms go dormant in their muscles yet appear throughout stages in the life of the pet. The pet, if not treated for these worms, can then spread them through their stool in the yard, or by laying in bed with your child. The worms are microscopic and kids easily transmit them to their mouths. Our immune systems generally deal with these as soon as they enter our body but sometimes, not right away. Some people get flu-like symptoms for a couple of days, never knowing they’ve been infected with intestinal worms, from their pet.

Worms are particularly troubling to a developing fetus or a child. Worms in sand boxes, for example, can hatch into larvae that will bore into your skin and travel around your system, in blood, lymph nodes, or the neural system. The worms can cause rashes, blindness, bowel problems and worse. Make sure kids wear shoes while outside and that animals don’t use the sand box as their bathroom, to help prevent this disease. It’s also helpful to clean up stool - even from the yard. If pets use the bathroom inside, keep the area sanitized and clean.

Tapeworms are also a threat to humans, and are transmitted from pets to people. Although most medications offered for treatment of worms work well for many species, the tapeworm is a little tougher to kill and won’t respond to regular worm medications. Tape worms must go through a flea or rodent before infesting your pet, making it even more important to guard against fleas. Cats that catch mice should regularly be treated for tapeworm. Once entering the human system, tapeworms can cause severe problems including brain damage.