Danger from pets

Up to 150 diseases that pets can infect you, some of which are dangerous, even fatal. The type of disease spread by pets is commonly referred to as zoonoses.

Most zoonoses are mild, but there are also some very dangerous diseases. In 1918, the whole world was horrified by the rapid and fierce outbreak of the Spanish flu. The epidemic comes from pigs and has died in the world. About 40 million people were killed at the time.

Recently, some very dangerous zoonoses have also become the topical topic of newspapers, such as mad cow disease, Ebola and Marburg dengue viruses, transmitted from monkey meat eating in Africa. AIDS is thought to have originated from a variant of African monkeys, infecting humans.

In 1994, Hendra virus appeared in Australia. This virus from bats infects horses and causes disease to humans; symptoms like flu and there have been several deaths. In 1999, a new virus called Nipah also came from a species of bat, transmitted to pigs and transmitted to humans. The disease also begins with flu symptoms such as body aches, high fever, and more severe causes of encephalitis. Nipah killed 105 people in Malaysia in 1999.

Some of the earlier pathogens only found in hot countries, now beginning to appear in North America, such as the West Nile virus were first discovered in New York in 1999. This is a disease of some birds, especially crows, and are transmitted to humans by mosquitoes. Symptoms are like the flu, rarely causing damage to human life but can cause dangerous complications in the elderly.

Hendra virus

In 2003, SARS from mainland China killed nearly 800 people worldwide, including Vietnam. The agent is a special type of corona virus, which can be derived from certain wild animals like civets.

In early 2004, the H5N1 bird flu epidemic broke out rapidly in Asia, then invaded Europe and reached the African continent. Transmission is also the type of poultry that humans raise.

In addition to the above "hot" epidemics, in life, common animal diseases are typhoid (in the feces of cattle, chickens, ducks, birds, turtles, snakes), Hanta viruses (in rat droppings), rabies, cat scratch, and twisted disease (spread from rodents, dogs, cats, pigs, cows) .

How does Zoonose cause illness?

Animal blood, saliva, feces, urine, skin, hair, meat, milk and eggs can all be a source of infection for humans. Weather, climate and natural conditions also greatly influenced the appearance of a zoonose. There are diseases that affect only in hot and humid tropics, but there are also diseases that occur only in temperate regions. Pests, insects, flies, mosquitoes, ticks, fleas and birds can all be intermediaries for spreading germs from animals to humans.

Animal densities that are too high in a given area, deforestation, and easy transport are all favorable factors for a zoonose to appear quickly. Finally, the way of human life, such as living with cattle, eating habits such as eating raw meat, re-meat, re-lemon, and soup can also be a part of the occurrence of the disease. disability.

Fortunately, most animal diseases rarely infect humans. However, recently some specific viruses of animal diseases have made scientists very concerned, because they are very difficult to destroy and have the ability to easily adapt and adapt to the environment. new, thereby exceeding the category barrier to infect people. Methods of industrial and intensive farming with too many animals on small areas have created conditions for disease to develop. Forest clearance has caused animals to lose their habitat, must be spread to densely populated areas to find food and at the same time transmit diseases to humans. Today, at the same time with the development and expansion of the transportation industry, pathogens can follow travelers and goods traveling around the world quickly and easily. Therefore, it is said that the rise of zoonose is the price that people pay for the scientific advances we are enjoying.