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Cat Scratch Disease: Is Your Child At Risk?
By Roxanne Willems Snopek
Most people who contract this relatively rare illness experience only minor symptoms. The first sign of Cat Scratch Disease, according to Dr. Diane McKelvey, author of The Safety Handbook for Veterinary Hospitals, is a scratch on the hand or forearm that develops a small blister resembling an insect bite. "Normally, this lesion resolves in a few days to weeks," she says. "However, lymph nodes near the scratch may become swollen and tender."
Most sufferers will not even know they are ill, but about 30 percent of patients will experience flu-like symptoms: headache, fatigue, muscle soreness and fever. These usually clear up on their own after several weeks, fortunately, because also like flu, there is little treatment available. Pain medication, rest and hot compresses applied to the affected lymph nodes are the usual recommendation. The neurological symptoms -- headache, fever and confusion -- occur more commonly in children, many of whom also develop seizures. Although these symptoms are more dramatic, long-term consequences are still rare and recovery is usually rapid.
In spite of its benign appearance, Cat Scratch Disease can be a more serious illness for a small number of sufferers, most of who are unable to fight the organism because of a compromised immune system due to previous illnesses. For this reason, up to 10 percent of those who contract the illness will develop complications such as conjunctivitis, tonsillitis and inflammation of the brain.
Does this mean immune-deficient people shouldn't own cats? Not necessarily. Since outdoor kittens with fleas are the most likely to carry Bartonella, precautions are easy. Minimize the risks by adopting an older indoor feline from known source (such as a reputable breeder who practices good health care and parasite control), instead of a stray kitten. Avoid shelter cats and kittens, as these are most likely to have had contact with feral or wild cats. Feral and stray cats carry heavy flea loads and present a likely method of transmission to housecats.