OCCUPATIONAL
ZOONOTIC DISEASE
Vitri Widyaningsih
• Defined as infections naturally transmissible between
vertebrate animal hosts and humans
• Transmission may occur in a number of settings, ranging
from indirect contact through food or drinking water to
direct exposure on farms, during leisure pursuits or from
pets.
• Many zoonotic infections may be contracted in the
occupational environment, although the true incidence of
occupationally acquired zoonoses is unknown for most
infections.
• Anthrax • Ovine chlamydiosis
• Brucellosis • Pasteurellosis
• Campylobacter • Psittacosis
• Cryptosporidiosis • Q fever
• Influenza • Rabies
• Leptospirosis • Salmonellosis
• Listeriosis • Streptococcal infections
• Lyme disease (Strep suis, Strep
• Mycobacterium
zooepidemicus)
bovis (bovine TB) • E. coli O157
• Bat workers • Meat inspectors
• Dog handlers/dog • Poultry farmers and
wardens workers
• Farmers and farm • Shepherds
workers (working farms • Sewage workers
and open farms) • Veterinarians and other
• Fish farmers and wild- veterinary staff
catch fishers • Wildlife workers
• Forestry workers
• Wildlife photographers
• Horse handlers/grooms
• Abattoirs and cutting premises • Direct contact (i.e. handling
• Aquaria and fish farms animals)
• Aviaries and wildfowl sanctuaries • Aerosol - inhalation
• Animal sanctuaries, kennels and • Oral - ingestion
catteries • Fomites (contaminated inanimate
• Farms - dairy, fish, livestock, poultry objects)
etc. • Environmental contamination
• Leisure and watersports facilties • Vector-borne
• Open farms and other similar
premises open to the public
• Pet shops and similar retail outlets
• Research and diagnostic
laboratories
• Quarantine premises
• Zoos and wildlife parks
IMPORTANT DISEASES
Anthrax
• Anthrax is a bacterial • Humans are infected by:
infection caused by • Eating infected meat,
water or food (Commonest
Bacillus anthracis, form)
spores of which can • Breathing in contaminated
survive in the dust
environment for years or • Through broken skin
decades. • Humans can be infected
from dead animals
• It is primarily a disease
of herbivorous • Anthrax does not usually
mammals, though other spread from human-to-
animals and some birds, human, except when the
particularly carrion birds, dead are not handled
carefully
can also contract it.
Clinical Signs
• Clinical signs in Animals • Clinical signs in Humans
– Incubation period of 1 to 20 – The skin form causes itching
days of the skin, a pimple and
– May be sudden without wound
showing signs or a short – The lung form causes
period of fever difficulty in breathing; may
– Blood discharge from the kill within a few hours
body openings in dead – The intestinal form causes
animals; the blood does not fever, malaise, abdominal
clot and the animal does not pain, diarrhoea, severe
stiffen at death illness, chills, collapse and
– Pigs in particular only show death
swellings in the neck
Control and Prevention
• Animals • Humans
– Treat the sick animals using high – Notify immediately and admit
doses of penicillin them to a health facility
– Avoid opening ‘suspect’ dead – Community education
animals
– Isolate the sick and quarantine
the suspected
– Disinfect the farm with standard
disinfectants
– Vaccinate the animals in
endemic areas
– Avoid contact with suspicious
animal products
– Safe disposal (Burn or bury in
deep hole with Lime; the
dormant forms of the organisms
stay for over 100 years!!!)
Influenza
• Influenza A viruses are • Most Influenza A viruses are
detectable in many classified as low pathogenic
different animals, strains
including, wild fowl,
poultry, pigs, sea • Occasionally, low pathogenic
mammals, horses, Influenza A viruses mutate
companion animals and and become highly
mink. pathogenic, causing
potentially devastating
• The zoonotic influenza pandemics
infections most likely to
threaten human health are • Examples:
those in wild fowl and – Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza
poultry (avian influenza) (HPAI) (H5N1)
– Influenza A (H1N1) also called “Swine
and pigs (swine influenza) Flu”
Phases of Pandemic Influenza
Source Unknown
10/10/2009 Public Health Disaster Planning for Districts 11
Clinical Sumptoms
• Symptoms of zoonotic flu • Symptoms of zoonotic flu
in animals in humans
– Sudden massive deaths in – Similar to seasonal flu: chills,
animals (e.g. Birds), fever, sore throat, muscle pains,
severe headache, coughing,
reduced egg production, weakness , general discomfort
bluish comb, swollen head,
diarrhoea, lack of appetite
– However, unlike the seasonal
flu, it may cause severe disease
and massive deaths
–High risk groups: Poultry and
animal handlers, travelers to
affected countries/zones, family
and community contacts
Control in Animals
– Before the outbreak – During the outbreak
• Protection in handling • Farmers with affected flocks
animals should report
• Do not mix different species • Immediate Notification and
• Sensitize communities on quarantine
how to recognize • Rapid Response Teams should
• Train Rapid Response Teams be activated
• Surveillance • Destruction and safe disposal
of all affected flocks/animals
• Owners have to work with
field teams
• Disinfecting animal houses,
farm
Control in Human
– Before the Outbreak • During the Outbreak
– Targeted Community – Individual and Community
sensitization on measures for • Stay home if mildly or
control moderately sick
• Avoid close contact with
people who are sick
– System • Nurse sick persons in
• Set up treatment centres for separate area with
severely ill personal protection
• Call for immediate logistical • Wash hands often and
support from the Ministry of avoid touching eyes, nose
Health and mouth
• Give Antiviral drugs if available • Cover mouth or nose with
• Vaccinate high risk groups if a tissue when coughing or
vaccine is available sneezing
• Measures to ensure security • Keep up with health
and continuity of other information in your own
community
services • Do not touch or eat
affected animals
• Severely ill persons should
be referred
THANK YOU
