Introduction: Pet ownership is an increasingly common practice around the world and domestic animals have become part of families to the point that they eat and sleep with their owners.
Objective: Determine if the risks of attack or infections that they can cause in people, especially in children, have decreased in this new context of human-animal relationships.
Methodology: A bibliographic search was carried out in the PUB-MED and SciELO databases. Publications from the World Health Organization (WHO), Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), national ministerial guides and legal provisions for the surveillance and responsible ownership of pets were also consulted. Information on current recommendations for anti-rabies vaccination in animals and humans was included in the search.
Conclusions: Pet ownership is frequently not accompanied by proper hygiene habits and parental supervision. Pet attack and zoonoses risks, especially in IC children and young children can be serious and even cause death.
Keywords: Pets, Zoonoses, Animal bites, Rabies. |
