By OWEN BOSS
Staff Writer
NORTHAMPTON — News of a cat in Iowa being diagnosed with swine flu last week has some area residents wondering how to protect their pets. One local veterinarian says good hygiene is the best method.
According to the Iowa Department of Public Health, a 13-year-old indoor cat in Iowa was taken to the Lloyd Veterinary Medical Center at Iowa State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, where it tested positive for the H1N1 virus. Several of the cat’s owners, the department reported, became ill with an influenza-like illness before the cat began showing signs of a respiratory infection.
People who are sick with H1N1 can spread the virus not only to humans, but to some animals, including ferrets, dogs and cats, according to the department. Both the cat and its owners have recovered, according to the department.
Dr. Lori Paporello, of the Northampton Veterinary Clinic on South Street, said the best way to avoid transmitting the virus to your pets is by washing your hands, covering coughs and sneezes, and minimizing contact with pets while ill with flu-like symptoms. If a pet exhibits signs of a respiratory illness after a flu-like illness has circulated a household, contact your veterinarian, she said.
“We haven’t seen any cases of (swine flu) here or any cases that we’ve been highly suspicious of, but with any emerging illness we are typically concerned about two things: how it changes over time through mutation and resistance,” Paporello said.
“Again, we haven’t seen any cases here, and the American Veterinary Medical Association wasn’t overly concerned about it, but people should continue to use good hygiene practices.”
Owen Boss can be reached at oboss@gazettenet.com
No comments:
Post a Comment