A leading neurologist has given an urgent warning of the few known risks of cat scratches after a teenage girl could not walk.
Dr. Baibing Chen, from the University of Michigan, shared the warning on Tiktok and stated that cats can accommodate dangerous bacteria that can pose a serious threat to owners.
In the videoWho has been viewed more than 124,000 times, he urged his followers to seek immediate medical help if they experience unusual symptoms after they have been scratched, bitten or even licked by a cat.
About the only thing he would “never ignore,” Dr. Chen: “I once saw a teenage patient who walked sudden confusion, severe headaches and problems.”
The patient also showed extreme fatigue and coordination problems that her parents described as unusual.
The clinical instructor added: ‘We also noticed a decrease in her vision in one eye. Further research showed that it was an inflammation of the optic nerve and the retina that her loss of eyesight explained. ‘
But doctors could not come up with a diagnosis that could explain its symptoms after excluding the ‘usual suspects’, including stroke, meningitis and car – immune diseases – that can all cause neurological disorders.
‘Only when we remarked a few scratches on her arm, did we asked about recent injuries or exposures and that was when her mother said they had recently adopted a kitten.
Dr. Chen said that the only thing he doesn’t ignore, because a neurologist is symptoms after an apparently harmless cat scratch
Cat crab disease is a bacterium infection that has been passed on to people by a scratch that is infected with flea aids
“This detail was the key, which led to the confirmation of Bartonella Henselae infection – the bacteria that cause cat scratch diseases.”
The disease can spread to people through a scratch that is contaminated with flea appers – usually often from kittens.
Infected cats can also spread the bacteria by licking the open wound of a person.
Cat scratch disease usually affects children under the age of 15 who have less chance of washing their hands after interaction with their pet cat.
It is estimated that there are around 12.5 million pets in the UK, with almost 30 percent of British households at least one cat.
In the US, 37 percent of households have at least one cat. Figures estimate the total cat population of the US at 73.8 million.
Dr. Chen said, “Most people with this infection experience mild symptoms such as swollen lymph nodes, fever and fatigue, but in rare cases this condition can affect the nervous system and eyes.”
Rarely, according to the American Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), this can develop into infections of the liver, spleen, brain, bones and even heart – a condition known as endocarditis.
Health officials revealed in June of this year that grandmother Yvonne Ford, 59, rose rabies after contacting a stray dog during abroad
Although most scratches do not result in CSD, Dr. Chen that it is best to stay vigilant and keep scratch wounds and to keep an eye on for meaningful symptoms, including fever, swollen lymph nodes and a pust near the scratch.
These more extreme reactions often occur in people with weakened immune system, such as cancer patients, the elderly or people with HIV.
However, the risk of infection can be minimized by keeping cats indoors and away from stray cats that more often wear diseases.
But he said this does not mean that you have to stay away from your cat.
‘This case is a memory that something as apparently as a playful scratch in rare cases can lead to serious health problems.
‘The key here is consciousness. If a scratch, biting or licking is followed by unusual symptoms such as persistent headache, changes in vision or confusion that share the detail with your doctor, the difference can make. ‘
The warning then comes in Britain in June was turned upside down by fresh rabies, after a woman died after catching the virus on vacation in Morocco.
Health officials revealed that the grandmother, Yvonne Ford, 59, has contracted the disease after contact with a stray dog.
There are fewer than 10 cases of human rabies associated with expansions to animals abroad, reported in the UK since 2000.
However, the UKHSA emphasized that there was “no risk for the wider public,” since there is “no documented evidence that rabies pass between people.”
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