Hamster Alert
Posted on | October 6, 2004 |
Hamster owners in western Canada and northwestern Ontario are being asked to contact their doctors. The Public Health Agency of Canada said that some hamsters from a Manitoba pet distributor have tested positive for Type B tularemia, which is a bacterial infection capable of being transmitted to humans from rodents.
Dr.David Butler-Jones, the Chief Public Health Officer of Canada said in a press release, “We believe the risk to human health is low, but if people have sick hamsters and are feeling ill themselves, we want them to advise their health care provider.”
Symptons, which normally take 3-5 days to appear but can take as long as 2 weeks, include sore muscles, fever, chills, sore throat, swollen glands and swollen/painful eyes. The disease is usually mild but in rare cases can be fatal.
The warning applies to hamsters puchased in the past 3 months.
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