家有小孩 慎養寵物

Reptiles, monkeys, rodents and other exotic pets are growing in popularity but should be discouraged in homes with small children or people with immune system problems, according to a report published on Monday.

While pediatricians know about pet-related hazards, only 5 percent say they regularly educate parents and children about such dangers, an attitude that should change, Dr. Larry Pickering of Emory University Medical School in Atlanta said in report for the American Academy of Pediatrics.

"Most non-traditional pets pose a risk to the health of young children, and their acquisition and ownership should be discouraged in households with young children," they said in a report published in the October issue of Pediatrics.

Most reptiles carry salmonella bacteria, for example.

The report said parents need to be educated about the increased risks of exposure to non-traditional pets and animals in public settings for infants and for children under 5, such as petting zoos, and for people with immune system problems.

Potential problems range from allergies to the spread of infectious diseases, they said. For instance, in 2003 an outbreak of monkeypox affected around 20 people in the US midwest, traced to imported Gambian pouched rats from Africa.

The report said the number of exotic pets in the United States has increased by 75 percent since 1992. In 2005 there were nearly 88,000 mammals, 1.3 million reptiles and 203 million fish imported illegally into the United States.

"This illegal trade subverts rules established by regulatory agencies to reduce the introduction of disease ..." the report said.

如今，蜥蜴、猴子和齧齒動物等外來寵物越來越受歡迎，但本週一發表的一項研究報告稱，有小孩或家人有免疫系統問題的家庭應慎養這些寵物。

亞特蘭大埃莫里大學醫學院的拉里•皮科林博士在爲“美國兒科學會”撰寫的研究報告中提到，兒科醫生們都清楚這些寵物的潛在危害，但僅有5%的醫生稱他們經常提醒家長和孩子注意這些危害，這種態度應該改變。

研究人員在《兒科學》十月刊上發表的研究報告中說：“多數非傳統寵物對幼兒的健康都有潛在危害，所以有小孩的家庭最好不要養這些寵物。”

比如，多數爬行動物都攜帶沙門氏菌。

報告稱，嬰兒、不滿五歲的孩子和有免疫系統疾病的人應避免接觸非傳統寵物以及寵物動物園等公共場所的動物，家長應瞭解其中的潛在危害。

這些危害輕則引起過敏，重可導致傳染病的傳播。2003年，美國中西部地區的約20人感染了一種“猴痘”病毒，這種病毒源於從非洲進口的一批岡比亞巨鼠。

報告稱，從1992年起，美國的外來寵物數量增長了75%。2005年，共有近8.8萬隻哺乳動物、130萬隻爬行動物和2.03億條魚被非法帶入美國。

報告稱：“這種非法貿易違反了相關監管機構制定的防止進口動物傳播疾病的法規。”