Can people get infections from animals?

 

Yes, although it's very rare for an infection to be passed on in this way. The medical name for infections that animals can pass to people is zoonoses.

You can catch an infection through direct and indirect contact with an animal. It's possible to catch an infection if:-

€¢ an infected animal bites or scratches you

€¢ you accidentally touch an infected animal's body fluids such as blood, saliva, urine or stools (faeces)

€¢ you touch an object that's been in contact with an infected animal, such as pet toys or grooming tools

€¢ you breathe in droplets from the air after an infected animal coughs or sneezes

€¢ you swallow food or drink contaminated with an infected animal's body fluids

€¢ you're bitten by an insect that has previously bitten an infected animal

Many types of animal can pass infections to humans, including:

€¢ pets like dogs, cats, birds, tortoises, hamsters, fish and horses

€¢ exotic pets like lizards, snakes and terrapins

€¢ farm animals like sheep, pigs, goats, cattle and poultry

€¢ wild animals, such as foxes, deer and bats

€¢ rodents, such as rats

€¢ insects, such as ticks and mosquitoes

You can reduce your risk of getting an infection from an animal by practising good personal hygiene and good food hygiene.

Can eating too much fat cause cancer?

There is not enough evidence to show that eating too much fat will increase your risk of cancer but there is evidence that being significantly overweight does increase the risk of developing certain types of cancers. However, regularly eating foods high in fat can affect your health in other ways that may increase your risk of cancer.

There is evidence that diet is linked to 30% of cancers in industrialised countries, such as the US, the UK and Japan.

For example:

drinking alcohol and eating a lot of red or processed meat may increase your risk of bowel cancer and drinking too much alcohol may increase your risk of mouth cancer, throat cancer, liver cancer and breast cancer

However, there is not enough evidence to show that eating a lot of fat, including saturated fat, will increase your cancer risk. If you eat foods high in fat, you may eat more calories than you need and put on weight - being very overweight or obese can increase your risk of some cancers, such as: bowel cancer, pancreatic cancer, oesophageal cancer, breast cancer, cancer of the womb and kidney cancer.

There is evidence that eating a healthy diet that's high in fibre and includes lots of fruit and vegetables can reduce your risk of some cancers. While eating too much saturated fat may not increase your cancer risk, it can increase your risk of other health conditions, such as coronary heart disease.

What is angina?

Angina is a heart condition that is caused when the blood supply to the muscles of the heart is restricted. It usually occurs when the arteries that supply the heart become hardened and narrowed.

The main symptom of angina is a dull, heavy or tight pain in the chest that can sometimes spread to the left arm, neck, jaw or back. The pain is usually triggered by physical activity or stress and usually only lasts for a few minutes. It may also occasionally occur at rest.

The onset of this type of chest pain is often referred to as an angina attack.