Snakes and frogs
|
|
From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I'm Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.
You might not be able to teach a snake to fetch your paper, but people do keep them as pets. People keep other reptiles, too, like turtles - as well as frogs and other amphibians. But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says reptiles and amphibians can carry Salmonella bacteria - and thousands of people a year get infected from them.
CDC's Linda Capewell:
``When people are coming in contact with a reptile or a frog - especially in young children -- they're either putting them up to their mouths or they're just not washing their hands properly after contacting these animals.'' (12)
Capewell says people can also get infected from the water in aquariums when cleaning them in food preparation areas, like kitchens.
Learn more at hhs.gov.
HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I'm Ira Dreyfuss.