H5N1 avian influenza has dropped of the media radar lately (apart from the BC ostrich farm debacle, but that’s a different story), but that doesn’t mean it’s gone away (and with the fall wild bird migration season looming, we need to stay on alert). The same applies to H5N1 infections in pets from contaminated
Universal Ostriches. It’s been a ride.
I was involved early in the saga of the H5N1 influenza outbreak on this ostrich farm in BC, answering some questions about the situation and potential options, but eventually stepped back from commenting much as things went off the rails, in part to avoid the flurry of threats
For the longer answer to this question, check out the latest podcast episode I just posted on WormsAndGermsPod. For those who prefer to read the summary, here it is:
If you ask people on the street “should we use the limited antivirals we have available to treat people with flu on dogs and
When it comes to food safety risks with H5N1 influenza, we know it’s a problem with raw (unpasteurized) milk from cattle, so I often get asked if it’s a concern with milk from other animals, such as goat’s milk. It’s a good question. My typical response has been that we really don’t know. There haven’t
It’s fair to say that raw pet foods have clearly been source of H5N1 influenza infections in cats, some of which have been fatal – even though sometimes it’s impossible to make a definitive link between the food and infection because of when and how the infection occurred, and what could or could not be
A recent opinion article in the Washington Post about how to protect cats from H5N1 influenza includes some good considerations, but alongside some bad information. It’s prompted me to write a bit about pet food preparation and how it does (and does not) affect the presence of infectious pathogens (but please keep in mind while
Details have now been released about the information that was briefly posted then removed from the US CDC website a couple weeks ago regarding suspected household transmission of H5N1 flu to and from cats. It’s great to have more details, but (as is common with emerging diseases) the full story probably raises more
The Washington State Department of Agriculture and the Oregon Department of Agriculture have issued a public health alert because of H5N1 influenza virus contamination of another brand of raw pet food, following the deaths of two more indoor cats from separate households linked to consumption of the pet food.
Details are sparse, but
I think it’s fair to say H5N1 becoming seemingly endemic in US dairy cattle in the past year caught us off guard. The virus has spread widely within and between US dairy herds, has caused mild infections in a number of people in close contact with infected cows, has killed a lot of cats on
