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Bird flu has spread among livestock in at least five states this year, and health officials say that while transmission to humans is unlikely, pets such as cats and dogs can become infected if exposed to infected animals. It points out that there is a possibility.
Dog and cat looking out the window together
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important facts
Avian influenza (also known as avian influenza) refers to a group of potentially fatal infections caused by the avian influenza A virus, which typically infects poultry and wild migratory birds.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, avian influenza is usually transmitted among birds, but it can also spread to mammals such as domestic dogs and cats.
According to the Kentucky Department of Public Health, domestic animals can become infected by eating or coming into contact with sick or dead birds infected with avian influenza, and cats are the most susceptible domestic animals.
According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, although it is possible for avian influenza to occur, the chances of contracting it from a pet dog or cat are very low.
Symptoms of bird flu in cats and dogs include fever, lethargy, loss of appetite, difficulty breathing, conjunctivitis (or conjunctivitis), and neurological symptoms such as seizures and tremors, which can be fatal.
Main background
The Department of Agriculture announced on March 25 that avian influenza was detected in dairy herds in Texas and Kansas. The USDA subsequently discovered that dairy herds in Michigan, New Mexico and Idaho were also infected. Minnesota also reported a case of avian influenza in a goat on March 20, the first case of infection of a “domestic ruminant” in the United States, which includes domestic cattle, according to the AVMA. Refers to many common herbivorous mammals in the United States. . On April 1, Texas authorities announced the second person in the United States infected with a type of bird flu called H5N1. This infection was spread by exposure to cattle. The first outbreak occurred in 2022 when a person in Colorado contracted the disease from infected poultry. The Texas Department of State Health Services said the case “remains a low risk to the general public.” The CDC report said the patient reported red eyes as the only symptom and was being treated with antiviral drugs. Human infection is rare, but from January 2003 to February 2024, 887 cases have been reported in 23 countries, according to the World Health Organization. This virus can be extremely dangerous to infected humans, as 52% of these cases resulted in death.
tangent
A New York City veterinarian was diagnosed with H5N7, a type of avian influenza virus, after caring for an infected cat admitted to an animal shelter in November 2016, according to a study published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases. infected. The cat died a few days later, and further testing revealed the virus had spread to several other shelter cats throughout the facility, but no other animals, including dogs. None of the people who came into contact with these cats, including 165 volunteers and employees and more than 180 adopters, suspected the disease except the visiting veterinarian. This person had been exposed to infected cats and their secretions for extended periods of time without face protection. The veterinarian had mild symptoms such as a sore throat, cough, and muscle pain, but the dog was treated with medication and cured without being hospitalized.
amazing facts
The Food and Drug Administration has approved several avian influenza vaccines for humans. The United States has a small stockpile of vaccines against two avian influenza viruses (H5N1 and H7N9), but it would not be enough to vaccinate the entire population in the event of an outbreak among humans. If there is an outbreak among humans, the government plans to mass-produce a vaccine, but it could take at least six months to produce enough for the entire population. Squiers, which makes one of the approved vaccines, expects to have 150 million vaccines ready within six months of the bird flu pandemic announcement. There are 8 billion people on the planet, meaning less than 2% of the world's population will be able to receive the vaccine after the first six months of a potential outbreak. means.
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