WORRIED ABOUT the avian flu? Afraid it might come here?

While you're keeping your eyes on chickens across the ocean, you also might want to pay attention to what's lounging on the sofa, sitting on the kitchen counter, sleeping in the bed, rolling on the carpet or, pardon us, pooping in the backyard.

That's right. The family pet can make you sick. The terms 'zoonotic' and 'zoonoses' refer to infections passed from animals to humans.

People are 'fairly unaware' that they can catch something from their pets, said Alex DeLorenzo, veterinarian at Acredale Animal Hospital in Virginia Beach. One exception is ringworm, and it's the disease she sees most often. 'Everybody is always worried about that.'

The other is toxoplasmosis, a parasitic disease that pregnant women can contract from cat feces. Expectant mothers are far more likely to be exposed to the parasite in raw meat or soil, DeLorenzo said, but shouldn't handle litter boxes if the contents have been sitting in it for 24 hours or more.

'So it's important to clean up the litter every day and that pregnant women not do it, or do it twice a day and wear gloves,' she said.

There's no need to panic, but it is important, according to local veterinarians and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to wash, wash, wash hands thoroughly with plenty of soap and water after handling pets and especially after coming in contact with their feces or the aquarium water in which they live.

And no matter how much they are loved or seem like 'one of the family,' it is not a good idea to kiss animals or eat while handling them, to walk barefoot in outdoor areas where they live and relieve themselves or to bathe reptiles, especially, or their food dishes or cages in kitchen sinks or bathtubs.

Good hygiene and the vaccination of pets against rabies and other easily preventable diseases is vital to the health of animals and to the people who own them. Otherwise, thanks to Fido and Tweety, you could catch one or more of the illnesses in the sampling below.

Chlamydia psittaci infection - This bacterial disease can be caught from pet birds such as parrots and parakeets. It can cause headaches, muscle aches, fever and chills.

Salmonella infection - This bacterial disease can be transferred to humans by many birds, especially chickens, baby chicks and ducklings. It can cause vomiting, diarrhea, fever, cramps, even death in individuals with weakened immune systems.

Cat scratch disease - A bacterial disease contracted from cat scratches and bites that cause a mild infection in humans, swollen lymph nodes, fever, headache, fatigue and poor appetite. About 40 percent of cats carry Cat Scratch Fever, or Bartonella henselae, at some point during their lifetimes.

Leptospira infection - Flu-like symptoms accompany this bacterial infection. It can develop into infections in the kidney, liver, brain, lung and heart. Leptospirosis is also associated with dogs.

Hookworm infection - A parasitic disease associated with dogs and cats and their environments. Hookworms cause painful, itchy skin infections and bleeding and inflammation of the intestines as well as abdominal pain.

Cryptosporidium infection - This parasitic disease is especially found in puppies. It causes mild to severe infection of the human gastrointestinal system including diarrhea, fever, abdominal cramps, nausea and vomiting.

Includes frogs and toads.

Salmonella infection - The animals or the water they live in can carry this bacteria. It is especially easily caught by children younger than 5, people with weakened immune systems such organ transplant patients, and people getting treatment for cancer or those with HIV/AIDS.

Campylobacter infection - Campylobacteriosis is a bacterial disease passed in feces. It can cause diarrhea in people.

Ringworm - A fungal disease that causes an itchy, round lesion on the skin.

Salmonella infection - A bacterial disease that can be caught from lizards, snakes, turtles and tortoises. It can cause severe illness, hospitalization and death in humans. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates about 3 percent of households in the U.S. own at least one reptile. About 70,000 people get salmonellosis from reptiles in the U.S. every year.

Rodents such as rats, mice, gerbils, rabbits, hamsters, guinea pigs and ferrets.

Salmonella - Bacteria that can cause diarrhea in humans

Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis Virus - The wild house mouse is the primary host of this virus and can infect pet rodents such as hamsters and guinea pigs, which can then infect humans. This disease mimics the flu - fever, stiff neck, malaise, lack of appetite, muscle aches, headache, nausea and vomiting.

SOURCE: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For more information, see www.cdc.gov/healthypets