What are Zoonotic Diseases

Zoonotic diseases are those specific diseases that can be transmitted from insects or animals to human beings. It does not have to make the animal sick necessarily, but it definitely has the potential to make humans sick.
Some zoonotic diseases can be short-term illnesses of minor form, whereas some can have a serious life-changing impact on the patient. Some are also known to cause death.

Agents of Zoonotic Diseases
Some of the agents that cause zoonotic diseases are:

• Parasites 
• Fungus
• Bacteria
• Virus

Examples 
Some common examples of zoonotic diseases are mentioned below:

• Ebola
• Bird flu
• Dengue fever
• Cat scratch fever
• Animal flu
• Enzootic abortion
• Anthrax
• Hepatitis E
• Glanders
• Fish tank granuloma
• Malaria 
• Orf infection
• Lyme disease
• Rabies
• Plague
• Rate-bite fever
• Parrot fever
• Q fever
• Swine flu
• West Nile virus

Transmission of Zoonotic Diseases 
The diseases can be transmitted through several ways. As animals and people are always in close contact, it is easy to get infected with the germs. Some of them are:

1. Direct contact: When people come in contact with faeces, mucous, urine, blood, saliva, and other fluids of any infected animal, the disease spreads. Some of the examples would include touching animals, through scratches or bites, etc. 
2. Indirect contact: When people are in proximity to places where animals roam and live, or even with substances that are contaminated, the disease has chances of spreading. Some of the examples are chicken coops, pet food, plants, soil, pet habitats, aquarium tank water, etc. 
3. Vector-borne: When people are bitten by an insect, flea, or mosquito, there are chances of acquiring zoonotic diseases. 
4. Foodborne: Consuming contaminated food is also a common medium of transmission. Drinking or eating unsafe food products could result in zoonotic diseases.

High-Risk Individuals
People who are at a greater risk of having zoonotic diseases are:

• People with HIV
• Pregnant women
• People above the age of 65 years
• Children below the age of 5 years
• People having weak immune systems 
• Cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy 

Prevention
To prevent zoonotic diseases, you will have to do a few things:

• Keeping your hands clean
• Staying safe when pets are around
• Handle food safely

It is important to correctly diagnose a disease and work to prevent it in the future. Diagnosis is done through laboratory tests on blood or other body fluids, such as urine, saliva or semen and no specific treatment is required for the disease. To know more about the blood test visit Polo Labs.