Alert to Parents: Pet Turtles May be Harmful to Your Children's Health

Alert to Parents: Pet Turtles May be Harmful to Your Children's Health
Small turtles are a source of a disease called salmonellosis in humans. Symptoms of the disease may include diarrhea, stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, fever and headache. Symptoms begin in 6 to 72 hours (usually 12 to 36 hours) after a person is exposed to Salmonella, and they generally last for 2 to 7 days. Anyone can get Salmonella infection, but the risk is highest in infants and young children as well as the elderly, and people who have lowered natural resistance to disease.