The Pharmaceutical Journal Vol 267 No 7169 p510-525
13 October 2001

BPC 2001 summary

Protection against zoonotic diseases

Community pharmacists have a role to play in the prevention and detection of infectious diseases transmitted from animals to human subjects, Dr Steven Kayne, a Glasgow community pharmacist, told the audience at the veterinary pharmacy session.

Dr Kayne said that many customers of community pharmacies kept pets and considered them to be part of the family. Others came into contact with animals through their work. Generally such encounters were perfectly safe, but occasionally an adverse reaction could result through injury, an allergic response or the transfer of disease. The latter, known as a zoonotic infection, could be by direct contact with an animal or through environmental contamination.

Among the potential dangers were infestation by animal ectoparasites such as fleas and ticks or by endoparasites such as roundworms and protozoa. These conditions could be recognised by pharmacists. Dr Kayne also mentioned the troublesome condition known as pustular dermatitis (orf) caught from lambs.

Dr Kayne stressed the importance of being proactive in veterinary care. Enquiring as to whether dogs and cats were being regularly wormed and encouraging simple hygiene (such as washing hands after “pooper-scooping” and not allowing pets to sleep on the bed at night) were important contributions to the maintenance of good health and offered pharmacists a way of widening their involvement in pharmaceutical care initiatives.

Back to Top