A former Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research, Innovation and Strategic Partnerships), at the University of Ibadan, Prof Olanike Adeyemo, has warned pregnant women to stay away from cats for their safety and that of their unborn child.
Newsonline reports that the Professor of Veterinary Medicine gave the warning following high cases of animal to human diseases ravaging the world and the country.
Professor Adeyemo, who also headed the Oyo State Decontamination and Containment Team of the COVID-19 task force warned against having intercourse with animals and called for caution in ecotourism.
Speaking on different ways of transmitting diseases from animals to humans, Adeyemi said, “There are different ways of transmitting diseases. I headed the Oyo State Decontamination and Containment Team of the COVID-19 task force.
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“I know that there are so many factors causing the transmission of diseases from animals to humans and one of them is urbanization. We cut down trees and move into the bushes and we come in more contact with animals. Ecotourism is another factor.”
She lamented that “Human beings don’t respect boundaries. In some developed countries, some people keep exotic pets and among several ways is bestiality which can bring sexual transmission of diseases.”
She warned, “For instance, many people don’t know that a pregnant woman should not be in contact with cats because cats transmit a disease that causes abortion.”
Professor Adeyemo explained that cat litter is dangerous to the health of a pregnant woman and the baby. She further stated that cats spread bacteria diseases through their faeces which is very dangerous to humans, especially, pregnant women and babies.
“She should not be in contact with a cat’s litter if she is pregnant. It also causes some changes and makes babies defective. But a combination of many factors makes disease transmission occur.
“If your level of immunity is high, you may not be down when others who are in the same place as you are down. We also have some people who do not believe in vaccines and those ones are usually the weaklings.
“Toxoplasmosis is usually harmless, but in rare cases, it can lead to serious problems and cats spread the parasite via their faeces. Women are more at risk if they get infected during pregnancy. Toxoplasmosis can cause miscarriage. If it spreads to a woman’s baby it can cause serious complications, especially if she caught it early in pregnancy.” She added.
