Dangers of bites in SEA: Don't pat the dogs, and don't cuddle the monkeys.

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Dangers of bites in SEA: Don't pat the dogs, and don't cuddle the monkeys.

Post by CEOCambodiaNews »

Dangers of bites in south-east Asia: Dogs, monkeys and mosquitoes
Don't pat the dogs. Don't cuddle the monkeys.

This seems to me like good advice. In fact, it feels like a no-brainer. Why would you pat a dog when you're travelling in a developing country? Why would you pick up and cuddle someone's pet monkey? Why would you intentionally come into contact with any animal, in fact, that has teeth or fangs or claws?

And yet, people do. I see this insanity all the time on the road. Dog lovers can't help themselves – they want to make sure all of the cute animals are getting enough love. They pat them, they feed them, they scratch them. I even met an Australian guy in India who'd adopted a stray dog he'd named Charlie. The man was riding around the country on an Enfield motorbike with his new pet pooch tucked into a satchel on his chest.

Cat lovers, too, have a tendency to want to pat stray felines they discover in dodgy places. I also travelled with a friend in Laos who spent a few hours one day with someone's pet monkey hanging around on her shoulder. It was a pet, after all, so perfectly harmless. Right?

Actions like these are probably part of the temptation Western travellers have to assume that everything in other countries is as safe as it is in our own. Dogs are dogs. And monkeys are awesome. Obviously, you'd want to give them a pat when you see them. Maybe throw them a few scraps of food.

But you're putting yourself in danger. Unnecessary danger. One bite from a dog or a monkey or any other animal and you've just committed yourself to a series of five anti-rabies injections. That is, if you can find someone who can administer them. Otherwise you're in even bigger trouble. One scratch from a cat and at the very least you've got a visit to the doctor to arrange.
http://www.traveller.com.au/dangers-of- ... oes-h0xoe6
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Re: Dangers of bites in SEA: Don't pat the dogs, and don't cuddle the monkeys.

Post by Artful Dodger »

You have to add to the warnings about handling cats. Even a friendly little kitten as nature would have it, will knead in their claws and/or occasionally scratch.

Quote ---- "Melioidosis, also called Whitmore's disease, is an infectious disease that can infect humans or animals. The disease is caused by the bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei.
It is predominately a disease of tropical climates, especially in Southeast Asia and northern Australia where it is widespread. The bacteria causing melioidosis are found in contaminated water and soil. It is spread to humans and animals through direct contact with the contaminated source."

References - https://www.cdc.gov/melioidosis/index.html http://www.melioidosis.info/download/m ... t_2016.pdf https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1082802/

As cats will scratch a small hole in the dirt to take a poop, they are well able to obtain the virus from the soil onto their claws. A scratch upon your skin that can be just shallow enough to cause minor bleeding is more than sufficient to have the bacteria enter the blood stream.

Melioidosis is endemic in south east Asia... https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/22/9/16-0169_article

A cat scratch in Asia can prove fatal.
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Re: Dangers of bites in SEA: Don't pat the dogs, and don't cuddle the monkeys.

Post by Duncan »

And the Asian birds are dangerous. I dont have much experience with them so will rely on Jamie for information .
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Re: Dangers of bites in SEA: Don't pat the dogs, and don't cuddle the monkeys.

Post by Artful Dodger »

Duncan wrote: Mon Apr 30, 2018 7:21 am And the Asian birds are dangerous. I dont have much experience with them so will rely on Jamie for information .

True.... many birds in Cambodia carry and pass on ....
HIV/AIDS.
Hepatitis.
Chancroid.
Trichomoniasis.
Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and Genital Warts.
Herpes.
Donovanosis
Gonorrhea.
Chlamydia.
Syphilis

The latter three being currently regarded as near pandemic in 2017 with detected infections having increased by greater than 600% compared to the previous year in Cambodia. It must be noted however, that in particular, syphilis has had a substantial increase in infections globally in 2017. One estimate was greater than 300% increase of syphilis infections worldwide in 2017 compared to 2016.
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Re: Dangers of bites in SEA: Don't pat the dogs, and don't cuddle the monkeys.

Post by Heng Heng Heng »

Woodswallows and tits are fine, but beware of cuckoos, drongos, and nuthatches. Also never go near scaly thrush.
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Re: Dangers of bites in SEA: Don't pat the dogs, and don't cuddle the monkeys.

Post by Luigi »

Donovanosis
Had to go to Wiki for that one. :hattip:
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Re: Dangers of bites in SEA: Don't pat the dogs, and don't cuddle the monkeys.

Post by that genius »

Luigi wrote: Mon Apr 30, 2018 12:58 pm Donovanosis
Dylan had this.
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Re: Dangers of bites in SEA: Don't pat the dogs, and don't cuddle the monkeys.

Post by Luigi »

He must have contracted it from Donovan.
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Re: Dangers of bites in SEA: Don't pat the dogs, and don't cuddle the monkeys.

Post by anonny18 »

Common sense is rare nowadays
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Re: Dangers of bites in SEA: Don't pat the dogs, and don't cuddle the monkeys.

Post by Felgerkarb »

I worry more about random hooker bites...
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