Is It Safe for HIV Patients to Associate with Pets?

• HIV-infected people should avoid direct contact with stool from animals, specifically animals that have diarrhoea. 
• Infected people should avoid pets aged 6 months to 1 year because the hygiene and sanitary conditions in pet-breeding facilities, pet stores, and animal shelters vary. Also, pets of any kind at this age are not usually trained which increases the risk of infections more. 
• Gloves should be worn around cleaning areas which are exposed to contamination by feces from pets. 
• Patients should wash their hands after handling pets, especially before eating a meal. 
• Patients should not allow pets to lick them or their open cuts or wounds. 
• In case of an animal bite, patients are advised to seek medical attention urgently. 
• Most importantly, patients should be recognizant of the fact that cat ownership may under some circumstances increase their risk for toxoplasmosis and Bartonella infection. 
• Further, litter boxes should be cleaned by an HIV-negative, non-pregnant person; if HIV-infected perform this task, they should wear gloves and wash their hands thoroughly to reduce the risk of toxoplasmosis. 
• Also, to reduce the risk of toxoplasmosis, HIV-infected patients should keep cats indoors and not allow them to go out to hunt, and not feed them raw or undercooked meat. 
• Flea control for cats is also recommended to reduce the risk for Bartonella infection. 
• Moreover, HIV-infected persons should not limit contact with reptiles (e.g., snakes, lizards, iguanas, and turtles) and chicks and ducklings because of the high risk for exposure to Salmonella spp. 
  
  

Note: [The article has been written for awareness purposes. We don’t specialize in the healthcare sector.]