Your pets can bring Infection to you and your kids

Pet ownership is thought to be a key to heart health, social support, and long life, but have you ever thought that letting a pet dog lick your face, picking up its feces or allowing it to sleep on your bed could put you and your kids at risk of catching infection? Pets can pass germs to human beings. Transmission of germs from animals to humans can occur either by direct contact between a person and an animal or through an intermediary insect like a mosquito or a tick. Although many germs are species-specific–meaning, they can infect only one or a few closely related species–other germs are able to cross species barriers and pass from animals or birds to humans. Virus and fungi are less likely to be transmitted from animals to humans, whereas bacteria and parasites that are normally found in animals find humans to be suitable hosts as well. Thus, many of the of the animal-derived infections are caused by bacteria or parasites.
Read how dog, cat and other pets may be carriers of infection.
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We are living in the pool of Germs

We are surrounded by various germs. Many of these germs are harmful for human beings and find various routes to enter in our bodies. Inanimate things around us are also responsible for the spread of the infection in adults and kids. Free living germs like bacteria, fungi, and virus survive on the non living things like furniture,utensils, toothbrush, toilet seats, faucets etc. Bacteria and fungi survive on these inanimate objects for prolonged period than virus because of the fact that virus require living cells to survive. Moisture helps germs to hang around in the environment even for several days without drying off or drying up.

A study carried out in 2006, found that adults infected with rhinovirus who stayed over-night in the hotel rooms contaminated one third of the things in the room. The rhinoviruses survived on the objects they touched like electric switches, telephone, television, television remote devices etc for 24 hours. These objects might not receive routine cleaning , so these virus survived on these objects for a long time. Few other object like sharp things can be contaminated by blood also causing life threatening diseases. Everyday things like drinking glasses, toothbrush hats, hair brush, bed sheets, toilet seats etc serve as vector of infection.
The infection through these inanimate objects spread mainly because of sharing of objects.

Here is a list of the everyday things that can spread infection:
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