Pet Zoonoses Committee
Zoonotic disease is nothing to sneeze at. Every year pet owners in the United States contract pathogens and parasites through interaction with their pets. The resulting diseases are collectively referred to as “zoonoses” (zoo-no-sees) and most can be transmitted from animals to people, as well as people to animals.
Rabies, salmonella, and toxoplasmosis are among the most commonly known zoonoses that can be transmitted between pets and pet owners. Rabies in largely under control in the US due to successful dog vaccination programs, salmonella risks can be significantly reduced through proper sanitation, and toxoplasmosis, which is primarily a concern for pregnant women and immune-compromised individuals, is not an issue if those at risk avoid contact with cat feces.
However, as pet lovers welcome an increasing diversity of animals into their homes (from hedgehogs to cone-headed lizards), very rare diseases - such the monkeypox - are increasingly in the spot light.
PIJAC provides its Members and other stakeholders with credible information on animal disease prevention, to the benefit of their business, the animals, and consumers. PIJAC's Pet Zoonoses Committee - a team of experts on veterinary and human medicine, disease and wildlife ecology, and the pet industry - helps build the industry’s capacity to prevent zoonotic disease transmission and respond in a timely, effective, and ethical manner if disease outbreaks do occur.
The Pet Zoonoses Committee distributes information through PetAlerts, PetUpdates, educational resources (e.g., posters and fact sheets), trade and consumer magazines, popular press publications, and professional journals.
