Owners warned of disease risks from pets

Pet owners should be more aware of the risk of disease spread by their animal companions, experts have warned.

Infections from pets are a real threat to vulnerable groups such as newborn babies, children with leukaemia, cancer patients, and anyone with a weak immune system, it is claimed.

A new review of “zoonotic” animal-to-human infection suggests many people, including doctors, are not taking the risk sufficiently seriously.