​Toxoplasmosis

• Disease caused by a parasite or bug found in undercooked meat and in the feces (stool) of cats      
  

Signs and Symptoms

• Generally, people with toxoplasmosis have no symptoms.
• In cases where symptoms appear, they can include: fever, sore throat, swollen glands, muscle pain and a general sick feeling.   

Spread

• Eating undercooked or raw meat
• Poor hand washing after touching kitty litter, working in the garden or playing in outdoor sand boxes.    
• Toxoplasmosis can be passed from a pregnant mother to her baby

Treatment

• Most healthy people recover without treatment
  
• For those who are very ill, a combination of drugs can be given
  

Prevention

• Wear gloves when cleaning kitty litter or when working in the garden. Wash hands afterwards.
• Wash all surfaces that have touched raw meat.  
• Use a mix of nine parts water to one part household bleach to disinfect around the kitty litter box. Use 2 ml bleach in a liter of water for surfaces that touch food.