Watch Out : Cats Now Transmit TB to Humans Via Living With Them

England’s public health agency says two people have caught Tuberculosis from a pet cat, the first time the bacterial disease has been documented to spread from cat to human.

In the report published on Thursday, public Health England said it concluded TB sample taken from the cat and from the two people in contact with the animal showed that the cat were the source of the infection.

Between December and April 2012, Veterinary Doctors identified TB in nine pet cats in Berkshire and Hampshire, west of London.

Public Health England said the two people who caught TB were recovering and said the risk of further spread from cats to human is very high.

TB is a Bacterial disease that kills more than one million people annually worldwide. TB is a serious condition but can be cured with proper treatment, namely a range of antibiotic taken for at least for six months.

TB mainly affects the Lungs and can also affects any part of the body including bones and nervous system. Typical symptoms include having persistent cough for more than three weeks that brings up phlegm which may be bloody, weight loss and night sweats.

People might also experience a fever, fatigue and loss of appetite. TB only spreads after prolonged exposure to someone with the Illness, such as living in the same house.