Hopefully this is the last time I’ll take up a blog post to send out a request, but as I’ve mentioned before, I’m helping Dixon’s Distilled Spirits repurpose their alcohol to make hand sanitizer during the COVID-19 pandemic. They’ve donated a few thousand litres of hand sanitizer to healthcare providers and first responders over
Personal protective equipment (PPE) shortages in veterinary medicine
Shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE) are a problem in many places right now because of massive demand (as well as hoarding and black market diversion) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Veterinary clinics facing shortages need to think about ways to extend the life of existing supplies, including conservation, extended use or reuse of items when
Mask use in the community: When / why / how?
During my (limited) ventures outside of home or the College, it’s getting more common to see people walking around wearing nose-and-mouth masks.
My first thought is “Where are you getting those? They’re short in supply.”
My next thought is “Stop wasting masks! You don’t need them.”
My last one is “
Veterinary medicine, essential services and social distancing
Ontario announced a shutdown of non-essential services yesterday. Wisely, veterinary medicine was classified as essential. However, it’s not business as usual. Rather, it’s “best as we can” given other restrictions and social distancing that are absolutely necessary to curb the spread of COVID-19. There’s no clear way to define essential vs elective in many
Wanted: Hydrogen peroxide and glycerol
As I mentioned recently, a local distillery here in Guelph, Dixon’s Distilled Spirits, has started producing hand sanitizer for healthcare facilities and essential services to help with the supply shortage during the COVID-19 pandemic. I’m helping them manufacture it according to World Health Organization guidelines, mainly by helping to scavenge the two non-alcohol
Predatory journals: A rant
Despite daily updates to spam filters and contact blocking, I wake up every day to a variety of invitations to submit to journals.
- No good journal does that. They have lots of submissions.
The spam emails highlight the wild west of predatory journals, often with names that try to imitate real journals. Today’s was the
5 things to remember about zoonoses
A recent CDC expert commentary was recently published on “Animal Lovers and Zoonotic Diseases: 5 Things to Know“. Regular readers of Worms & Germs will find many of the points very familiar, but the article provides a nice summary of some of the recurring themes that arise when dealing with animals and people
Crossword answers
Here are the answers to the latest Worms & Germs crossword puzzle. Rather than my boring answer key, here’s a key sent in by a reader, Dr. Hillary Israeli (with much better illustrations than I could do).
New Worms and Germs crossword puzzle
Back by popular demand, here’s the latest Worms & Germs crossword puzzle. It’s a bit tougher than average but most of the answers can be found in recent posts. Answers will be posted in a few days. Have fun!
Rabies post-exposure prophylaxis… What is it?
Since the recently reported case of rabies in a man from BC, Canada, I’ve done a lot of interviews. One thing that has struck me is the continued misconception about what rabies post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) is, and the perception that it’s a long, painful ordeal.
It isn’t (at least not anymore)… and I know