A lot of infectious disease events get over-hyped by the media, which makes it a bit surprising that this case has flown a bit under the radar. It’s not a sign of an impending “influenza apocalypse,” but it’s a warning sign that more may be going on lately with flu viruses than we’ve been able
We started WormsAndGermsBlog on a bit of a whim. I didn’t really know much about blogs but Maureen Anderson and I we were working on a project to develop infectious and zoonotic disease resources for different audiences, and realized that making physical flyers (or CDs… remember those?) wouldn’t be overly impactful or sustainable. Around that
When mpox (formerly monkeypox) started to surge in Ontario back in 2022, I set up a study to try to look at possible human-to-pet transmission of the causative virus (known as MPXV), because we have very little information about the potential risks to pets, and their potential role in transmission. By the time we got
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment recently released information about 6 cats in the state diagnosed with H5N1 influenza. Some aspects of these cases are totally unsurprising, others raise a lot of questions.
Colorado has been hit hard by H5N1 in dairy cattle, with over 50 herds affected since the spring
UPDATE: Shortly after this was posted, the US CDC walked back most of the requirements discussed below. This post will be left up for the historical record, but please note that the information no longer applies. Updated information was posted on July 22, 2024.
Here’s our current list of frequently asked questions about the impending
Our oversubscribed CVMA webinar on the new US dog importation rules coming into effect on August 1 showed just how many questions are still out there about the changes. An FAQ is in the works that will help address many of these, so stay tuned for that.
The topic of this post is: why are
UPDATE: Shortly after this was posted, the US CDC walked back most of the requirements discussed below. This post will be left up for the historical record, but please note that the information no longer applies. Updated information was posted on July 22, 2024.
Changes to US canine importation rules continue to confuse, confound and
I spend a lot of time talking to people about leptospirosis in dogs and the risks to people. From a zoonotic disease standpoint, I spend half my time trying to raise awareness of the potential for transmission of this bacterium from infected dogs to people. I spend the other half trying to talk people off
“Update” may be a bit of an oversell in this case, but here’s some more information on the upcoming changes to US dog importation rules that kind of came out of nowhere. We’re still trying to sort out a number of issues, both in terms of the big picture and minor operational details; hopefully we’ll
I know seals are mammals.
I know rabies virus can infect all mammals.
I’m pretty tuned into rabies and rabies prevention.
Yet, I’m not sure how quickly I’d clue in to any rabies risk from a seal bite. (I’d hopefully get there eventually, but I doubt it would jump to mind like it would with
