The CDC did a study on cat-scratch disease - here are the results Might want to think twice next time a cat gives you the paw.

A new CDC study on cat-scratch disease - that spreads when an infected cat licks an open wound or bites/scratches a person hard enough to break skin - shows that more people are getting sick from it.

The infection can produce swollen, raised lesions that can be filled with pus.

In rare, but serious cases, it "can affect the brain, eyes, heart, or other internal organs."

The study reported people who became seriously ill from it has increased.
Cats with the bacterium Baronella henselae show no signs of illness - and about 40% of cats carry it at some point in their lives. They typically get it from flea bites and flea poop getting into their wounds.

According to a new CDC study - cat scratch disease among people under 65 is highest in the south, and with kids between 5 and 9 years-old.

It states, "cases occurred predominantly in southern states and during the late summer and fall."

And it's not necessarily something to take lightly - annually, the total annual cost among CSD patients runs at an estimated total of $9.7 million a year.

Serious complications can arise from the disease that mostly occur in kids under 5 and people with weakened immune systems.

The CDC combed through health insurance claims across the country from 2005 to 2013.
source: katu.com

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