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from the watching-out-for-our-best-friends dept.
The always excellent Worms and Germs blog, out of the University of Guelph, has a series of articles about the recent arrival of Asian H3N2 canine flu into North America.
As described:
In a bit of a surprising twist, research performed by Cornell University, the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory and the National Veterinary Services Laboratory has indicated that the large, ongoing canine flu outbreak in the Midwest US is being caused by an H3N2 influenza strain, not the expected H3N8 canine flu strain. Molecularly, the strain is closely related to H3N2 strains that are circulating in dogs in China and South Korea. H3N2 canine flu emerged in that region in the mid 2000s and is widely circulating in some areas.
It would appear that one culprit in the spread of this disease are the number of international "Rescue Societies." These groups travel to foreign countries, collect stray dogs, and bring them back to North America where they are adopted out to well-meaning families. Asia and South America are the preferred sources, although there are groups that rescue dogs in the US and haul them up to Canada.
The ultimate problem seems to be that aside from rabies there is not a lot of thought given by border agencies to managing imported pets. In fact, an awful lot of dogs are imported each year that don't even have the required rabies shots.
If over 2700 unvaccinated dogs were brought into the country, how many dogs were brought in in total? How many of the "vaccinated" dogs were really vaccinated? (Since scrutiny is limited and faking a vaccine certificate doesn’t exactly take a lot of effort.) What other pathogens might those thousands of imported dogs been carrying? Finally, why import those dogs in the first place? There’s hardly a shortage of dogs looking for homes in the US...
Here is a statement from the CDC [fixed] on the outbreak in the Chicago area.
(Score: 2) by Techwolf on Tuesday April 21 2015, @11:51AM
I remember years ago when someone thought bringing a sick dog to a dog show was not an issue. Over 100 champion dogs parished withen a week.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by VLM on Tuesday April 21 2015, @11:59AM
Dog people treat their dogs like they are kids. Lots of theory and daydreaming and hand waving about how a "real epidemic" would impact society, but this is how the rubber meets the road. How do we think people would act in an epidemic? How do we hope they'll act? How do we fear they'll act? But this is how they actually DO act.
Once a human flu spreads as it does every century or so, you can search and replace the above with "day care center" and "human children". Or school, or college/dorm, or military barracks, or open plan office building (those are going to be absolute death traps).
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Tuesday April 21 2015, @01:00PM
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 5, Informative) by VLM on Tuesday April 21 2015, @01:39PM
Doesn't really matter I was interested in the psychological behavior aspects of "this is how people REALLY act during disease epidemics". Maybe in the late stages of an epidemic after a lot of people are wiped out, the reaction toward illness would change. Maybe.
One interesting aspect of
in a westernised society with modern medicine
is that's only Europe... In the USA we're stockholm syndroming ourselves into thinking modern medicine, much like sports cars, trophy wives, and rolex's, should only be for the rich and lucky job creators and any alternative to the status quo is inherently commie talk or letting the terrists win, and since we're all just temporarily disadvantaged millionaires, that's no major problem. Europe is only a very small fraction of the world population.
(Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Wednesday April 22 2015, @04:12AM
You can include Canada, New Zealand, and Australia in the mix.
Proper Socialized medicine there too.
(Score: 1) by darnkitten on Tuesday April 21 2015, @03:47PM
It would depend on how the flu mutates and whether the flu mutates in the direction we predict (in other words, if we have prepared the correct vaccines)--this year we had two vaccines available, and, in my locale, we had an outbreak of a flu that neither vaccine was effective against. Fortunately, it wasn't lethal, nor was it highly contagious, but it did lay its victims low for almost two months--and it affected both the young and the old.
It could just as easily been more contagious or more deadly (or less, for that matter).
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 21 2015, @03:40PM
Once a human flu spreads as it does every century or so
Various strains of influenza spread around the world every year.
(Score: 5, Funny) by aclarke on Tuesday April 21 2015, @02:59PM
While it is said that "all dogs go to heaven", I'm glad to read about dogs going to parish. However, from your post, I'm still not certain whether they were actually going to church, or just entering the parish premises. Are they being adopted by clergy, or simply being brought along with their parishioner owners?
Regardless, when these lucky dogs do eventually perish, I'm sure St. Peter will look kindly upon them due to their having been parished during their time on earth.
(Score: 2) by Grishnakh on Tuesday April 21 2015, @03:31PM
You might be mistaken. What if these dogs were simply going to a parish in Louisiana? ("parish" in LA = "county" in other states)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 21 2015, @06:35PM
You might be mistaken. What if these dogs were simply going to a parish in Louisiana? ("parish" in LA = "county" in other states)
Those are the wicked ones that were sent to doggie hell.
(Score: 2) by aristarchus on Wednesday April 22 2015, @01:49AM
Over 100 champion dogs parished withen a week.
Sorry, seem to be on a grammar nazi binge, but I hope their ministers appreciated the new members of the flock. (Oh, and there is a typo in "withen".)