Close and frequent contact with animals can lead to introduction of unknown diseases of varying severity into the human population, which can pose severe threats to our health.
In Singapore, pigeons dropping are a significant risk to human health. Apart from the stench of droppings, DR Leong Hoe Nam, an infectious diseases specialist at Mount Elizabeth Novena Specialist Centre, said pigeon droppings can lead to infections in areas such as the lungs, brain, or blood, and other forms of infections such as fungal infections and pneumonia. Such droppings even have long run effects: constant exposure to these droppings can cause long term respiratory problems.
The presence of certain animals may also have a spinoff effect on other animal populations in the vicinity. For instance, leftover food from pigeon feeding may be a magnet in attracting other disease carriers, such as rats or cockroaches. According to AVA, these animals are dirty and have a significant chance of carrying diseases, constituting significant risk to public health.