Yes sloths do sometimes carry some diseases that can be passed onto humans.
So you should never try to handle or touch a wild sloth.
You could however touch or handle a sloth if possible in a Zoo or other setting where the Sloth is likely disease free.
Amazingly a sloth can hold it's breath for as long as 40 minutes which is longer than any other animal or human can hold their breath.
Sloths will hold their breath for up to 40 minutes when needed when they are swimming.
Sloths are excellent swimmers because of their long arms but the sloths do not do very well on the ground so that's why they remain in trees mostly.
Since sloths are so slow they are unable to outrun and escape predators that may be after them.
Instead of trying to escape the predators the sloths rely on camouflage which is mostly Algae that grows on the sloths fur.
That Algae makes them hard to see and be discovered by predators and since sloths are mostly in trees that gives them some protection from some predators on the ground as well.
Sloths mostly eat leaves, twigs, and flowers that they can easily reach from where they are hanging.
Sloths do know that they are slow.
Sloths are very slow on the ground because they lack the energy needed to move fast and what little energy the sloth has they want to and need to conserve it.
So the sloth moves slowly to save what little energy they have.
Although sloths can move a bit faster when swimming so they are not always so slow.
Since sloths are so slow it can even take up to a month to digest the food they eat and they slowly come down out of the trees to poop and then slowly climb back up.
Sometimes I feel like moving like a sloth when I can't be motivated or bothered to do anything.
Sloths are slow because of their diet.
Sloths mostly eat leaves, twigs, and flowers that they can easily reach from where they are hanging.
The Sloths herbivorous diet is low in energy and lacks much of the nutrients needed like fats and protein for a balanced meal.