AHAP1 - AVIAN HEALTH AWARENESS PROFILE

Avian Health Awareness Profile is a part of HealthGene's Health Awareness Program which has been designed to promote healthier co-existance of animals and humans. This profile consists of DNA tests to detect harmful organisms, known as zoonoses, that can be passed from animals to humans. Although, healthy people can contact zoonotic diseases, the people most susceptible to these type of infections are those with suppressed immune system such small children, the elderly and those with immune-suppressing illnesses.
There are numerous means by which these types of zoonotic infections can be transmitted from pets to humans. Direct transmission may be a result of scratches and/or bites (saliva) from infected animals, or through contact with urine and/or feces that may contain these harmful organisms. Even though, only a small percentage of these types of infections do result from pet contact, it is important to be informed about the potential risks that our loved ones can be exposed to.
It is recommended that these tests be performed upon initial purchase or acquirement of any new pet, regardless of origin, that will be entering your home. This should be followed especially if the animal has been purchased at a pet store or pet shelter where poor hygiene, unsanitary conditions, and crowded cages tend to be a factor. It should also be suggested to those pet owners wishing to start a family, or those who have small children already, that they perhaps test their animals for these pathogens, as most of these infections are particularly harmful to pregnant women (Toxoplasma gondii), and/or younger children who tend to play more with the animals (especially near their mouths, where many organisms harbour).

IMPORTANT:
ANY POSITIVE RESULTS REPORTED TO YOU BY YOUR VETERINARIAN SHOULD ALSO IMMEDIATELY BE BROUGHT TO THE ATTENTION OF YOU FAMILY DOCTOR.