Health Scare? Really?

From the February 11, 2011, issue of The Week:

Health scare of the week: Sleeping with your pet

Experts suspect up to several million cases of zoonotic diseases—those passed from animals to humans—may occur every year.

More than half of American pet owners sleep with their furry companions, and that can be a big mistake. A new University of California study warns that such close contact can transmit serious illnesses from pet to caretaker, including meningitis, worms, and (through fleas) even the bubonic plague. Experts suspect up to several million cases of zoonotic diseases—those passed from animals to humans—may occur every year, ranging from skin conditions like ringworm to life-threatening ailments such as staph infections. While pets provide a lot of comfort and can reduce stress, researchers say, they are animals and can carry potentially dangerous bacteria, parasites, and bugs. Researcher  Bruno Chomel tells HealthDay.com that it’s not wise to let pets lick you on the mouth, and recommends hand-washing whenever you’ve been handling them. “Having a pet in the bed is not a good idea,” he said.

 Anyone willing to bet that this scared me?  I have been sleeping with dogs, the four legged furry kind, for probably 45-50 years.  And I have never had meningitis, worms or the bubonic plague.  Where in hell does this big scare come from.  Anyone read of any cases of bubonic plague within the last 40 years?  

Really now, if I don't sleep with my dogs, where in the world am I expected to sleep.  They, after all, own the bedroom and the bed.  The key words in this scary headline are "suspect" and "may".  Some people "suspect" that  the world "may" have been created in seven 24-hour days.  

I will concede that it is wise to wash your hands before handling food, etc., but who doesn't do that anyway?