The chances of most women contracting the infection from their cat are fairly low. First, indoor cats fed commercially-packaged cat food have a very low risk of being exposed to the parasite. Most cats that carry the parasite are outdoor cats who feed on contaminated prey. Women don't need to avoid cats and certainly don't need to give up their beloved pet if they are a cat owner.
A few simple precautions can prevent the spread of the parasite, including special care when cleaning the litter box or avoiding it altogether. If you are pregnant, have someone else clean the litter box. But if you absolutely must do it yourself, you may reduce your risk by wearing disposable gloves and immediately and thoroughly washing your hands when you're finished.
While some cat feces do have the potential to cause serious or even fatal complications in a developing fetus, the fact remains that women do not need to avoid cats altogether during their pregnancy. Staying clear of the litter box will dramatically lower the risk of toxoplasmosis. Furthermore, expectant mothers should not only be cautious around cat feces, but be careful when handling raw meat as well.
The risk of toxoplasmosis infection is higher if pregnant women eat raw or undercooked meat, or handle raw meat without immediately washing their hands. So when the joyous news of an upcoming arrival is announced, there's no need for Fluffy to pack her bags. Keep her indoors, only feed her prepackaged cat food, and do your best to avoid her litter box.
Dale S. Pregnant women don't need to give up their cats. WGN Radi website. Accessed November 10, Falk AM. The truth about toxoplasmosis. November 3, Food safety for moms-to-be. Fuoco LW. Pet cats aren't hazard to pregnant women.
Pittsburg Post-Gazette website. July 30, Medical conditions and pregnancy. University of Chicago Hospitals website. Pet safety tips: pregnant women And toxoplasmosis.
Pregnancy and toxoplasmosis. The Humane Society of the United States website. Quick Reference: Fact Sheets. March of Dimes website. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Syndicate. Minus Related Pages. On This Page When should I be concerned about toxoplasmosis? How do I know if I have been infected with Toxoplasma? How can Toxoplasma affect my unborn child? How is toxoplasmosis spread? Is there treatment available for toxoplasmosis? What are the best ways to protect myself or my unborn child against toxoplasmosis?
Should a woman breastfeed her infant if she had contracted a Toxoplasma infection during her pregnancy? To receive email updates about this page, enter your email address: Email Address.
What's this? Immunocompromised Persons Pregnant Women Travelers. Links with this icon indicate that you are leaving the CDC website. Linking to a non-federal website does not constitute an endorsement by CDC or any of its employees of the sponsors or the information and products presented on the website. You will be subject to the destination website's privacy policy when you follow the link.
CDC is not responsible for Section compliance accessibility on other federal or private website. Cancel Continue. A study showed that toxoplasmosis affected just five in 1, pregnant women in the UK. In less than half of these cases, the infection was passed on to an unborn baby.
About three in every , babies are born in the UK with congenital toxoplasmosis. Once you've had the infection, you can't catch it again. It's believed that up to one in three pregnant women will have already contracted toxoplasmosis before becoming pregnant.
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