Could Your Pet Be Making You Sick?
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iStockphoto/Thinkstock(ATLANTA) — Add another pet to the list of those that can make you sick.
They’re cute, squeeky and fit in the palm of your hand, but the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says hedgehogs can also be a carrier of a rare but dangerous form of salmonella.
In the last year, 20 people were infected by their pet hedgehogs, and an elderly man from Spokane County, Washington, even died.
Hedgehogs join frogs, toads, turtles, snakes, lizards, chicks and ducklings on the list of animals that have been linked to salmonella.
Doctors recommend thoroughly washing your hands after handling any of those pets or cleaning their cages.
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