Immunocompromised Veterinarians or Marine Biologists on here??

[Sea_Star]

I'm on 6mp and was wondering if any animal-related professionals are on here to appease me lol. And seafood/livestock preparers count!

I'm a volunteer at an aquarium with Sea Turtles and we prepare their food (raw fish, squid, etc) and feed them...touching Turtles, some have Fibropapilloma Virus...
I was worried about being on 6mp and the potential for acquiring an illness with working with animals, particularly marine mammals/others? Obviously washing hands is a given, but can touching them transmit anything? We also are in contact with disinfectants (Dawn, bleach, hefty ones..)

Animals are a HUGE happiness for me and I always find myself coming back to volunteer with them, despite the potential for bacteria, fungi, etc lol. I mean, I got squid blood on my shorts today (LOVELY lol) jk...

But anybody out there in a similar field??

 

[David]

I just wanted to bump your thread in the off chance someone might have an answer for you.

What I do know is there are plenty of doctors and nurses with Crohn's who are on 6mp and they are dealing with various diseases day in and day out.

What precautions can you utilize? Protective gloves? Mask?

 

[sleepallday]

Hi Sea_Star!

I also work with animals! I am a zookeeper that specialises in Primates and I have also just started working with marine mammals. I also used to work as a Veterinary Nurse.

There's obviously a huge potential for me to fall ill whilst working with the apes (as we share over 98% of DNA with them), though my specialist has made sure that we keep check on my health. He knows how much my work means to me so despite being on Azathioprine and soon to be changing to Humira, I just have to be really careful. I wash my hands literally a million times a day (which does nothing good for my dermatitis!) and if the apes are ill at all, I wear a properly ventilated mask/gloves/gumboots or don't work with them at all.

Don't let it stop you just make sure you scrub all of the lovely scales we are so lucky to end up with at the days end off.
Where abouts in the world are you working if you don't mind me asking?

It's so nice to find someone else with a similar field as me finally!

 

[Sea_Star]

Hi Sea_Star!

I also work with animals! I am a zookeeper that specialises in Primates and I have also just started working with marine mammals. I also used to work as a Veterinary Nurse.

There's obviously a huge potential for me to fall ill whilst working with the apes (as we share over 98% of DNA with them), though my specialist has made sure that we keep check on my health. He knows how much my work means to me so despite being on Azathioprine and soon to be changing to Humira, I just have to be really careful. I wash my hands literally a million times a day (which does nothing good for my dermatitis!) and if the apes are ill at all, I wear a properly ventilated mask/gloves/gumboots or don't work with them at all.

Don't let it stop you just make sure you scrub all of the lovely scales we are so lucky to end up with at the days end off.
Where abouts in the world are you working if you don't mind me asking?

It's so nice to find someone else with a similar field as me finally!

Hi Lara! I know it's been over a year since I posted here....not sure if you're still around on here! But that's awesome as well to find a fellow animal lover! I was volunteering at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, but my doctor suggested i don't work in that environment....so I stopped I've been on 6MP since last year, and Humira since this June. What brought me back to this forum is....here I did it again! Last Sunday, I worked in animal rescue, sheltering dogs. I was placed in the nursery unit (full gown, gloves, and boot covers), but apparently they had just cleared Giardia...great. Now i'm paranoid lol. I had gloves on all the time, except when we went outside for break. There's one instance i didn't wash my hands (the first break) after taking the gloves off, but ate a banana lol, so i'm freaking out. Do you still work with primates? I'm in Florida, USA btw That's awesome you've worked as a Vet nurse! I've become more and more paranoid about zoonotic diseases,so I'm hesitant to go in that field, although it still remains an option...that and, well, having to put down animals