It’s summertime, and many of us are looking for fun and interesting things to do. Contact with animals in public settings (e.g., fairs, educational farms, petting zoos, and schools) provides opportunities for entertainment and education. Although human-animal contact has many benefits, human health problems are associated with these settings, including infectious diseases, exposure to rabies, and injuries.
Injuries associated with animals in public settings include bites, kicks, falls, scratches, stings, crushing of the hands or feet, and being pinned between the animal and a fixed object. Infections from animal bites are common and frequently require extensive treatment or hospitalization.
Infections with enteric (intestinal) bacteria and parasites pose the highest risk for human disease from animals in public settings. Healthy animals can harbor human enteric pathogens, many of which have a low infectious dose (only a few bacteria are needed to make someone very sick). The prevalence of certain enteric pathogens is often higher in young animals, which are frequently used in petting zoos and educational programs for children.
Children aged less than 5 years are at particularly high risk for serious infection. Other groups at increased risk include persons with waning immunity (e.g., older adults) and persons who are mentally impaired, pregnant, or immunocompromised (e.g., persons with human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, without a functioning spleen, or receiving immunosuppressive therapy). Persons at high risk for infection should take heightened precautions at animal exhibits. In addition to thorough and frequent hand washing, heightened precautions could include avoiding contact with animals and their environment (e.g., pens, bedding, and manure). Animals of particular concern for transmitting enteric diseases include young cattle, live poultry, reptiles, amphibians, and ill animals.
Education of visitors to public animal contact venues about the risk for transmission of diseases from animals to humans is a critical disease-prevention measure. Contact with animals should occur in settings where measures are in place to reduce the potential for injuries or disease transmission.
MMWR/ May 6, 2011 /Vol. 60/ No. 4
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