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Public Health Issues
Extensive
information on diseases is available on the Center for Disease Control and
Prevention website: diseases or conditions are listed alphabetically.
Click here to make the link to www.cdc.gov
For
your convenience we are providing information on the following diseases/conditions/problems.
- AnthraxPublic Health Issues
Anthrax is caused
by the spore-forming bacterium Bacillus anthracis. Anthrax commonly occurs
in hoofed mammals but can infect humans. Symptoms occur within 7 days after
exposure. The serious forms are inhalation, cutaneous and intestinal anthrax.
Symptoms:
- inhalation anthrax infection may resemble a common cold, followed by severe
breathing problems and shock and is often fatal.
- intestinal anthrax - nausea, loss of appetite, vomiting, and fever are
followed by abdominal pain, vomiting of blood, and severe diarrhea. Anthrax can be treated with penicillin, doxycycline, and fluoroquinolones.
- Lyme
Disease
Lyme
disease occurs mostly in the northeastern, mid-Atlantic, and upper north-central
regions, and to several counties in northwestern California. Ninety-two percent
of cases reported to the CDC were from the states of Connecticut, Rhode Island,
New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, Maryland, Massachusetts, and
Wisconsin.
People who
live in areas surrounded by woods or long grasses, who participate in activities
such as hiking, camping, and hunting, or who work outdoors are at risk of
getting Lyme disease.
Lyme disease can be treated with doxycycline.
The American Lyme Disease Foundation website is www.aldf.com
- Rabies
The
most serious disease that animals can transmit to people is rabies. Pet owners
must keep their pets immunized. See our vaccinations page. Rabies is a bigger threat from wild animals. Pets
are vaccinated by your veterinarian to prevent them from acquiring the disease
from wildlife, and thereby transmitting it to humans. Call animal control
to remove all stray animals from your neighborhood since these animals may
be unvaccinated or ill.
You should
seek medical evaluation for any animal bite. If the animal appeared healthy
at the time you were bitten, it can be confined for 10 days and observed.
If the animal appeared ill when it bit you or becomes ill during the 10
day quarantine, it should be evaluated by a veterinarian for signs of rabies
and you should seek medical advice about the need for anti-rabies prophylaxis.
The quarantine
period establishes whether the animal has rabies. The process: the virus
travels from the muscles to the brain along the nerves. The animal does
not seem ill at this stage and a bite does not transmit rabies because it
is not in the saliva. Only when the virus has reached the brain and becomes
encephalitis does the virus move from the brain to the saliva. At this time,
almost all animals show signs of rabies. Most of these signs are obvious,
at this stage, within 3 to 5 days. For safety the quarantine period is 10
days.
- Toxoplasmosis
Toxoplasmosis
is found worldwide but very few people exhibit symptoms because the immune
system prevents the parasite from causing illness.
Sources: swallowing Toxoplasma eggs from soil or other contaminated surfaces.
How? Example: when you put your hands to your mouth after gardening, when
you clean a cat’s litter box, or touch anything that has come into contact
with cat feces. If you are pregnant when first infected with Toxoplasma,
you can pass infection to your baby.
Symptoms: "flu-like," swollen lymph glands, or muscle aches and
pains. People with immune system problems, people undergoing chemotherapy
and infants may develop severe toxoplasmosis, with damage to the eye or the
brain.
Wear gloves
when you garden, do anything outdoors that involves handling soil, or when
you handle raw meat. Cats, use gardens and sandboxes as litter boxes. Wash
your hands well with soap and warm water after outdoor activities and especially
before and after you prepare any food.
Toxoplasmosis
is diagnosed through a blood sample. There are no tests to establish whether
your cat has Toxoplasma in its feces.
For pregnant
women or persons who have weakened immune systems, drugs are available to
treat toxoplasmosis.
- West
Nile Virus
West
Nile (WN) virus has emerged in North America as a threat to public, equine,
and animal health. The most serious manifestation of the virus is encephalitis
in humans and horses, as well as mortality in certain domestic and wild birds.
- Wild
Animals: rules/protocols
Should
you have any problems with wild animals contact either your local SPCA shelter
or the local game commission. Wild animals are protected by extensive game
laws and may not be kept as pets except under strict licensing rules. Do
not touch any deceased wild animal that died under suspicious circumstances.
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