.jpg)
AP photo
This spring and summer have seen a near-panic over the H1N1 virus, commonly known as Swine Flu. People have been spotted throughout New York City wearing surgical masks against this airborne virus. Pet owners, naturally, want to know whether H1Ni is a strain that is communicable to or through dogs and cats.
At this time, the virus is considered not to be transmissible through our domesticated animals, or at least at low risk for transmission. According to the ASPCA, there is no reason to panic about our dogs and cats, although we should be a bit more vigilant about watching pets for any suspicious upper respiratory symptoms. As far as experts know, at this point, among nonhuman populations the virus attacks only pigs. It first affected humans who handle pig livestock. There is, of course, always the possibility of viral mutation, the process through which an organism changes and adapts in order to find additional viable host species. But that is true of many viruses and is not peculiar to the Swine Flu organism.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website recently updated their H1N1
page in the aftermath of a declaration by the World Health Organization that the virus is now a global pandemic, with 70 countries reporting cases. If you’re a New York City parent, that won’t surprise you—quite a few public, private, and parochial schools were closed temporarily when flu symptoms began cropping up among the students and staff.
What makes H1N1 distinctive among flu causing viruses? Nothing, according to some specialists. One naturopath consulted last month was frankly disgusted with the panic generated by the media over H1N1, pointing out that the “regular” or familiar flu strains have been responsible for millions of deaths historically, whereas H1N1 has felled a very small number of people. Perhaps the most distinctive difference here is that H1N1 has struck in warm weather, unlike the classic winter flu.
As H1N1 evolves, it may in fact become transmissible through other animal species. To keep informed, check the CDC website periodically, and use common sense—wash your hands after handling any animal, and make sure that young children exercise sanitary precautions when handling pets, whether their own or those of strangers.
For more info: http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/
http://suite 101.com
vetmedicineabout.com
Comments