If you are pregnant and have a cat at home, you should stay away from cat feces because it is more harmful to you than it seems.
Cat feces contain a parasite that causes birth defects, including abortion
The disease can occur as a result of a parasite infection. Infection usually occurs through consumption of undercooked contaminated meat, exposure to infected cat feces, or mother-to-child transmission during pregnancy.
- If you first become infected just before or during pregnancy, you can pass the infection on to your baby (congenital disease), even if you yourself have no signs or symptoms.
Your baby is most at risk of toxoplasmosis if you are infected in the third trimester, and least at risk if you are infected during the first trimester. On the other hand, the earlier in pregnancy the infection occurs, the more serious the outcome for your baby.
Many early infections end in stillbirth or miscarriage.
Some people do not develop symptoms, but some develop flu-like symptoms and signs, including: body aches, swollen lymph nodes, headache, fever, tiredness
In people with weakened immune system
If you have HIV/AIDS, are undergoing chemotherapy, or have recently had an organ transplant, a previous infection may reactivate. In this case, you may develop more serious signs and symptoms of infection, including:
Headache
Confusion
Poor coordination
Seizures
- Lung problems that may resemble tuberculosis or pneumonia, a common opportunistic infection that occurs in people with AIDS
- Blurred vision caused by severe inflammation of the retina (ocular toxoplasmosis)
- Babies who survive are likely to be born with serious problems, such as:
- Seizures
- Enlarged liver and spleen
- Yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes (jaundice)
- Severe eye infections
Only a few of babies who have toxoplasmosis show signs of the disease at birth. Often, infants who are infected do not develop symptoms - which can include hearing loss, mental retardation or serious eye infections - until they are teenagers or later.
When to see a doctor?
- If you are living with HIV or AIDS or are pregnant or thinking about becoming pregnant, talk to your doctor about getting tested if you think you may have been exposed to toxoplasmosis.
- Signs and symptoms of severe infection – blurred vision, confusion, loss of coordination – require immediate medical attention, especially if your immune system is weakened
Pregnant women can transmit toxoplasmosis, a rare parasitic disease, to their unborn babies, and toxoplasmosis infection can lead to miscarriage or cause malformed babies.
Prevention:
- Avoid drinking untreated water.
- Wear gloves when working in the garden and any contact with soil or sand, as they can be contaminated with cat feces, which contain parasite. Wash hands with soap and water after gardening or contact with soil or sand
- Teach children the importance of washing their hands to prevent infection. Keep outdoor sandpits covered
- Feed cats only canned or dried commercial food or well-cooked table food, not raw or undercooked meat.
- Make sure the cat litter box is changed daily. The parasite does not become infectious until 1 to 5 days after it is shed in the cat's feces.
- If you are pregnant or have a weakened immune system:
- If possible, avoid changing cat litter. If no one else can do the task, use disposable gloves and wash your hands with soap and water afterwards.
- Keep cats indoors to prevent them from hunting and reduce the chance of contracting the parasite
- Do not adopt or handle stray cats, especially kittens. Do not get a new cat if you are pregnant or have a weakened immune system.
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