Friday, February 11, 2011

GAther some important information on bird flu and cats

Highly pathogenic avian influenza caused by H5N1 virus (bird flu usually) found in cats and other cats (eg, leopards and tigers) from time to time since the beginning of the modern poultry avian influenza epidemic in 2003.
In 2004, researchers showed that cats can become infected with the H5N1 virus and the virus could not only cause serious illness (and death) in cats, but cats can transmit the virus to other cats.
The current data, it is very unlikely that cats play a major role in the natural transmission of H5N1 virus. In other words, even susceptible to viruses, they His "accidental" hosts.
But because cats may be susceptible to H5N1 virus, it means that there is the potential for cats to get hit and then pass to other cats and other animals and possibly humans.
What would cats infected with the H5N1 virus? There are two main scenarios.
a) Eat infected poultry meat - hence the link between infected cats and outbreaks of bird flu in poultry.
b) Many waterfowl are carriers of the H5N1 virus. These are unlikely to come in close contact with cats, but they are mixed with other species that may be contact with cats.
Cats are not the only mammals that can be infected with H5N1 influenza virus. Tigre, Leopards, civet cats, dogs and pigs are listed as being infected, and there is very little reason to assume that other mammals that could not be infected with the virus.
While this information is somewhat alarming, it should be in a relationship. Mammals (including people) should be exposed to large amounts of virus to be infected. This is supported by That most people deaths from H5N1 have occurred where people have prolonged exposure to poultry was the H5N1 virus circulating.
Moreover infected mammal shed small amounts of virus, thereby further reducing the risk of transmission virus mammal mammals (eg from cat to human).
A few other things worth mentioning.
1) The H5N1 virus quickly killed in 70C. So normal cooking of poultry will killer virus.
2) Commercial poultry are routinely slaughtered in an approved abattoir not constitute a health risk. This means that 99.9% of poultry, dressed in all first world economies (and many emerging economies) is completely safe to eat. Do not eat chicken "because of bird flu" is a ridiculous, ignorant comment.
3) Not all cats that developed sniffles now, avian flu! But if you are in a field which has an H5N1 outbreak in poultry, then a sick cat to ring some alarm bells.
4) normal good hygiene - washing hands with soap and water after handling animals or cleaning litter boxes, etc.
So while cats can be infected with bird flu virus, the chances for them to send to other animals or humans is currently very slim indeed. Unfortunately, influenza viruses constantly changing through mechanisms known as antigenic shift and antigenic drift, which means that what is true today may change in six months.
Watch this space!

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