Tracking the next pandemic: Avian Flu Talk |
Bird Flu Infects Cats in New York Animal Shelter |
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Albert
Admin Joined: April 24 2006 Status: Offline Points: 47746 |
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Posted: December 17 2016 at 4:50am |
Well this is a first. bird flu is spreading in cats in New York. Lately, from what we've seen, as these a/i viruses spread they become more virulent, not to mention the risk of jumping to humans and mutating also significantly increases as it spreads in the cat pop. Maybe we will start see cat culls soon, who knows. Bird Flu Infects Cats in New York Animal Shelter A type of bird flu usually only seen in chicken flocks has infected 45 cats at an animal shelter in New York, and vets say they're not sure how it got there. It is unusual, but not unheard of, for influenza to infect cats. Only one of the cats at the shelter, an elderly cat, has died. "This influenza virus is spreading from cat to cat and may be able to spread to other animals and possibly humans," the New York City Department of Health said in a statement. "No human infections have been identified to date," the department added. The shelter staff are testing other animals at the shelter, including dogs, and haven't found any other species affected yet. Respiratory disease can spread quickly among animals held at high densities, such as at shelters, in live markets or on big farms. Vets, doctors and other scientists keep an eye on bird flu because it can and does spread to people and has the potential to cause epidemics. So far, H7N2 hasn't. Related: Keep an Eye Out for H5N2, CDC Says "The Health Department is contacting all persons who have adopted cats from Animal Care Center's Manhattan care center since November 12th," the agency said.
< ="/"> < name="" ="_control _" id="" autofocus="autofocus" rows="4" readonly="readonly"><iframe src="http://www.nbcnews.com/widget/video-embed/462497347612" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> Cats with cough, fever, runny noses or lip-smacking behavior should be kept separate from other animals, and their owners should call the health department. It's good advice to keep a sick pet of any kind away from others anyway, vets say. Health experts have been keeping a close eye on new types of influenza ever since H5N1 avian influenza re-emerged in Hong Kong in 2003. Flu viruses mutate constantly and also mix up their genes — a process called re-assortment. Related: New Bird Flu Virus Shuts Down Indiana Farm Each time a new strain results from either process, it can confuse the immune systems of animals or people and cause epidemics. A new avian flu is the No. 1 fear of biological security experts, who know flu causes regular pandemics among people, sometimes killing millions in months. So animals and people are being tested more and more often with sensitive genetic tests that show not only that influenza has caused an infection, but which strain of influenza. This particular strain of H7N2 is not particularly worrying, said Dr. Amy Glaser, a virologist at the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University. "Generally, it is a relatively mild disease and the animals are recovering," she told NBC News. "There is no reason to believe that it is more widespread than this shelter at this point in time," Glaser added.
< ="/"> < name="" ="_control _" id="" autofocus="autofocus" rows="4" readonly="readonly"><iframe src="http://www.nbcnews.com/widget/video-embed/455768131536" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> Related: Dog Flu Cases on Rise in Chicago This particular strain of H7N2 had not been since 2006, Glaser said. It had been seen in live bird markets in New York. It's possible wild birds picked it up and kept it circulating since then, she said. "We need to be looking for influenza in unexpected places," she said. |
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hachiban08
Senior Moderator Joined: December 06 2007 Location: California, USA Status: Offline Points: 15627 |
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How crazy, but I wonder if it's because NYC has a lot of pigeons and stray cats feed off of them? Glad my cats are indoor cats.
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Be prepared! It may be time....^_^v
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carbon20
Moderator Joined: April 08 2006 Location: West Australia Status: Offline Points: 65816 |
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could be right ,unless they been "seeing" each other lol our cat has a "run"and a cage i built ,so he can go out without destroying the "native " wild life....
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Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.🖖
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Newbie1
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Wonder why they aren't automatically culling them all... They'll kill tens of thousands of birds (millions in big barns) for low path AI but not these cats ?!?! Isn't the risk of it mutating / spreading to humans about the same?
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carbon20
Moderator Joined: April 08 2006 Location: West Australia Status: Offline Points: 65816 |
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What kill someone's pet cat.....doubt that would ever happen ....lol
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Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.🖖
Marcus Aurelius |
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newbie1
Adviser Group Joined: July 29 2014 Location: Western Canada Status: Offline Points: 2345 |
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Yes CULL THE CATS! I LOVE my turkeys and peafowl, my ducks and geese come when called better then a cat... If ANY ONE of my flock was tested positive with AI (either HP or LP) the govt would cull every single bird on my property including my closest pets...
So why not cull a shelter cat - this is not (yet) someone's beloved pet... the old saying "what's good for the goose is good for the gander" comes to mind... |
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