Diseases

Antibiotic Abuse

& Zoonoses

Bird Flu

"Spillover into humans, such as the case of the Texas dairy farmer, has been rare, but the potential concern is that those incidents tend to be lethal. Since 2003, the World Health Organization has recorded 889 human cases of H5N1 and 463 deaths—a disturbing case fatality rate of 52%.   

"Influenza viruses change and jump species," Poulsen says. "That's why we need to make sure H5N1 in dairy cattle doesn't become a public health problem or cause interruptions to our food supply chain." - Cattle Veterinarians Express Confusion Over US Response to Bird-Flu 

Mad Cow Disease

Prions are damaged neurons which act like "zombie neurons" as they move from one animal to another, infecting healthy brain cells and turning them into infectious prions. 

Unlike many other pathogenic materials, prions aren't destroyed by heat, so animal products containing them (including meat, blood and dairy) can be passed on to baby livestock fed infected blood or milk (blood is sometimes used as an ingredients in calf formula), and humans who consume infected animal products or receive blood transfusions from other infected humans.

Salmonella

"Salmonella is one of the most common forms of food poisoning. Over a million people in the U.S. alone get salmonella every year and 26,500 are hospitalized. There are about 420 deaths due to salmonella every year in the U.S." Cleveland Clinic

You are at an increased risk of getting salmonella if you live or work around high-risk animals. High-risk animals includes chickens, ducks, turtles and lizards.

"The most common way to get salmonella is from undercooked food or improper food prep, for instance:

You can also get salmonella from animals and people who are infected with Salmonella bacteria. You can get Salmonella bacteria on your hands when you touch an animal, then transfer it to your mouth. Almost any animal can have a Salmonella infection or carry Salmonella bacteria on its fur, feathers, scales or skin. This includes:

Health Effects of Eating Meat

Heart Disease

Diabetes

Cancers

Grants

International

North America

USA