Swine flu, West Nile and your pets | Bite Grand Rapids

A Green Bay ABC News report aired over the past weekend regarding the two people identified as having contracted swine flu at the Wisconsin State Fair. The new strain of swine flu, identified as H3N2, is said to be milder than its H1N1 relative.

Not a big concern
Mark Hagedorn, Brown County UW-Extension agriculture agent, was quoted in the report as noting that, ?Swine can get symptoms. Coughing, respiratory issues, elevated temperatures and pass the infection on to people. He said, ?[People] can have an upset stomach, a temperature, those kinds of things.? But he stressed that, while it makes people feel poorly, doctors haven?t seen any serious consequences with H3N2 thus far.

Nearly three years ago, in the fall of 2009, the sometimes-deadly H1N1 swine flu strain unexpectedly showed up. Vaccines hadn?t included that strain, so the winter was well advanced before they became available to even at-risk people. In the meanwhile, by December of that year, reports were surfacing in the media that cats and dogs had shown up ill and tested positive for H1N1 after their owners had been ill. No instances were reported of the sick pets passing the virus along to other people. In summary, this swine flu looks like little threat to either people or their pets. Unless you take your pet pot-bellied pig to a farm with sick pigs, maybe.

Watch out for West Nile
More to be feared, the West Nile Virus [WNV] has been seen in a serious outbreak around Dallas County TX this summer. Just today, a New York Times article quoted the Center for Disease Control saying this year may see the worst out since WNV appeared in the US in 1999. A relatively rare disease, it spreads through mosquitoes that have fed on infected and then transmit the virus to humans and other animals. The CDC reports that the virus now exists everywhere in the contiguous 48 states, and that this year, all of them except Vermont have found it present in local mosquitoes or birds. WNV, which first came to in Illinois 11 years ago has showed up again in northern IL now that the break from very dry weather has given mosquitoes more breeding places. So far this summer, the Illinois Department of Public Health [IDPH] has reported 21 cases in people, with one death, plus one infected horse. Hundreds of mosquitoes captured by IDPH have tested positive for WNV in Cook and DuPage counties; Kane Lake, McHenry, and Will have also found significant numbers of mosquitoes with the virus present.

The American Animal Hospital Association makes the following points on its site:
West Nile virus most often sickens horses and birds. While cats have been known to become ill with infection by the virus, dogs seem to be relatively resistant to developing clinical illness as a result of exposure to West Nile. Cases of this disease showing up in dogs, very rare, generally occur among dogs with compromised immune systems, or in elderly or very young dogs.

Symptoms of the virus in infected dogs or cats include similar signs to those exhibited by infected horses: depression, decreased appetite, difficulty walking, tremors, abnormal head posture, circling and convulsions. Contact your veterinarian right away if your pet shows any of these signs. Whether the cause is West Nile or some other medical condition, prompt professional veterinary care will assure your pet of his or her best chance for complete recovery.

Prevention is key
Because no West Nile vaccine currently exists for people, let alone dogs and cats, you want to prevent your pet (and yourself!) from contracting the virus by reducing the risk of mosquito bites.

• Use mosquito repellent: Read the label or ask your veterinarian to recommend a product is safe for your dog or cat. Many insect repellents designed for human use can cause serious illness in pets.
• Avoid exposure to mosquitoes: Keep pets indoors?and stay in yourself?during early morning and evening hours when mosquitoes are most active.
• Avoid possibly infected dead animals: Keep pets away from dead birds or squirrels, which may have been infected with or died from the virus.

If your locality decides to spray for mosquito abatement, keep pets?and your family?indoors during spraying. Even pesticides deemed safe for humans and other non-insect animals can cause respiratory problems when inhaled as an aerosol.

For more information on WNV, check this IDPH resource.

Source: http://www.bitegrandrapids.com/?p=812

huntsman w.e. episodes idris elba kelsey grammer martin henderson mlk day