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A file photo shows a kid plays with a pet dog. Reptiles, monkeys, rodents and other exotic pets are growing in popularity but should be discouraged in homes with small children or people with immune system problems, according to a report published on Monday.
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Reptiles, monkeys, rodents and other exotic pets are growing in popularity but should be discouraged in homes with small children or people with immune system problems, according to a report published on Monday.
While pediatricians know about pet-related hazards, only 5 percent say they regularly educate parents and children about such dangers, an attitude that should change, Dr. Larry Pickering of Emory University Medical School in Atlanta said in report for the American Academy of Pediatrics.
"Most non-traditional pets pose a risk to the health of young children, and their acquisition and ownership should be discouraged in households with young children," they said in a report published in the October issue of Pediatrics.
Most reptiles carry salmonella bacteria, for example.
The report said parents need to be educated about the increased risks of exposure to non-traditional pets and animals in public settings for infants and for children under 5, such as petting zoos, and for people with immune system problems.
Potential problems range from allergies to the spread of infectious diseases, they said. For instance, in 2003 an outbreak of monkeypox affected around 20 people in the US midwest, traced to imported Gambian pouched rats from Africa.
The report said the number of exotic pets in the United States has increased by 75 percent since 1992. In 2005 there were nearly 88,000 mammals, 1.3 million reptiles and 203 million fish imported illegally into the United States.
"This illegal trade subverts rules established by regulatory agencies to reduce the introduction of disease ..." the report said.
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(Agencies)
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如今，蜥蜴、猴子和嚙齒動(dòng)物等外來(lái)寵物越來(lái)越受歡迎，但本周一發(fā)表的一項(xiàng)研究報(bào)告稱，有小孩或家人有免疫系統(tǒng)問(wèn)題的家庭應(yīng)慎養(yǎng)這些寵物。
亞特蘭大埃莫里大學(xué)醫(yī)學(xué)院的拉里?皮科林博士在為“美國(guó)兒科學(xué)會(huì)”撰寫的研究報(bào)告中提到，兒科醫(yī)生們都清楚這些寵物的潛在危害，但僅有5%的醫(yī)生稱他們經(jīng)常提醒家長(zhǎng)和孩子注意這些危害，這種態(tài)度應(yīng)該改變。
研究人員在《兒科學(xué)》十月刊上發(fā)表的研究報(bào)告中說(shuō)：“多數(shù)非傳統(tǒng)寵物對(duì)幼兒的健康都有潛在危害，所以有小孩的家庭最好不要養(yǎng)這些寵物。”
比如，多數(shù)爬行動(dòng)物都攜帶沙門氏菌。
報(bào)告稱，嬰兒、不滿五歲的孩子和有免疫系統(tǒng)疾病的人應(yīng)避免接觸非傳統(tǒng)寵物以及寵物動(dòng)物園等公共場(chǎng)所的動(dòng)物，家長(zhǎng)應(yīng)了解其中的潛在危害。
這些危害輕則引起過(guò)敏，重可導(dǎo)致傳染病的傳播。2003年，美國(guó)中西部地區(qū)的約20人感染了一種“猴痘”病毒，這種病毒源于從非洲進(jìn)口的一批岡比亞巨鼠。
報(bào)告稱，從1992年起，美國(guó)的外來(lái)寵物數(shù)量增長(zhǎng)了75%。2005年，共有近8.8萬(wàn)只哺乳動(dòng)物、130萬(wàn)只爬行動(dòng)物和2.03億條魚被非法帶入美國(guó)。
報(bào)告稱：“這種非法貿(mào)易違反了相關(guān)監(jiān)管機(jī)構(gòu)制定的防止進(jìn)口動(dòng)物傳播疾病的法規(guī)。”
（英語(yǔ)點(diǎn)津姍姍編輯）
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