Good news article!!!!

[marieb73]

<H2 class=inline>Cats and dogs protect kids from stomach bugs</H2>



Pets can protect their young owners against common stomach bugs, according to new research.


Jane Heyworth at the University of Western Australia in Crawley, and colleagues found that incidences of gastroenteritis – commonly called stomach flu – were significantly lower in young children living in homes with pets, than those living without.


For six weeks, the team closely observed 965 children aged four to six, noting incidences of nausea, diarrhoea, and vomiting. Children that had a cat or dog in their household were 30% less likely to have gastroenteritis symptoms than children who lived in homes without pets.


“It is a commonly held view that dogs and cats are a source of gastroenteritis, but our results do not support that,” Heyworth says. Being licked and touched by pets may allow children to develop immunity from repeated low level exposure of pathogenic organisms, she suggests.


Previous studies have shown that people who keep pets suffer fewer health problems, such as heart disease and depression.


Journal reference: Epidemiology and Infection (vol 134, p 926)





Link: http://www.newscientist.com/article/...ts-and-dogs-pr otect-kids-from-stomach-bugs.html

[dreamer]

I hope that's true! I've always had cats, and strangely enough my two boys don't seem to get as many sv*s as some of their friends. But that could also be because I've drummed the importance of hand washing into them!

[kellybean]

I've always livedwith cats and dogs since I was born, and I did get sv's but not that often. *knock knock*

[rubysoho120]

I hope that is true!!

[sheri-baby]

I have 3 cats at the moment, but in th past i've always had at least one or 2, i've thought about that theory, and I hope it's true....thanks for that article Marie!

[sage]

I really do wonder whether it's related to hand-washing. Do you think parents whose kids are playing with pets make them wash their hands more?

[marieb73]

I really do wonder whether it's related to hand-washing. Do you think parents whose kids are playing with pets make them wash their hands more?

I think that is a big part of it. We always had cats, dogs, birds, hamsters....you name it....when I was a kid but i was always told to wash my hands a lot too, especially before meals.