Animals and COVID-19

What You Need to Know

•  The risk of animals spreading SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, to people is low.

•  The virus can spread from people to animals during close contact.

•  More studies are needed to understand if and how different animals could be affected by COVID-19.
• People with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 should avoid contact with animals, including pets, livestock, and wildlife.

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Animal Rescue Pleads ‘Snip The Straps’ On Disposable Face Masks After Hundreds Of Wild Animals Become Entangled In Them

Countries around the world were eliminating single-use plastics and slowly starting to reduce plastic pollution, but it all went out the window when the global pandemic hit.

8 million tons of plastic enter our oceans every year, killing thousands of animals, but with the recent surge in single-use personal protective equipment (PPE) the situation just got worse.

To read more on this story, click here: Animal Rescue Pleads ‘Snip The Straps’ On Disposable Face Masks After Hundreds Of Wild Animals Become Entangled In Them

CDC Warns Against Using Masks On Pet Animals, Says It 'Could Harm' Them

KEY POINTS

• According to CDC, there's no evidence that animals can spread COVID-19 to human being
• CDC's recent tweet urged people not to put masks on their pet animals
• The federal health agency recommends limiting contact with sick people to protect pets from COVID-19

People have been following various preventive measures to curb the spread of COVID-19 from individuals to their pets. These measures include buying face masks for their pet dogs to wear while on walks during the pandemic. But the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC) warns against it and says it could harm the animals.

"DYK it’s not safe to put a mask on your pet? While pets can get #COVID19 from people, the risk of pets spreading COVID-19 is low. Instead, protect your pet by limiting their contact with sick people and people outside the household," read CDC’s recent tweet.

To read more on this story, click here: CDC Warns Against Using Masks On Pet Animals, Says It 'Could Harm' Them

Researchers Trained Dogs To Sniff out COVID-19 Infections In Just A Few Days

After just a few days of training, dogs in Germany proved capable of identifying people infected with COVID-19, according to researchers. The dogs, part of a study by a veterinary university in Germany, were able to sniff out the coronavirus with stunning accuracy.

To read more on this story, click here: Researchers Trained Dogs To Sniff out COVID-19 Infections In Just A Few Days

First COVID-19, Now Mosquitoes: Bracing for Bug-Borne Ills

The CDC has offered states additional help with mosquito testing this season as the coronavirus pandemic has overwhelmed state public health offices

Sophia Garabedian had been dealing with a persistent fever and painful headache when her parents found her unresponsive in her bed one morning last fall.

Doctors ultimately diagnosed the then-5-year-old Sudbury, Massachusetts, resident with eastern equine encephalitis, a rare but severe mosquito-borne virus that causes brain swelling.

Garabedian survived the potentially fatal virus after about a month in Boston hospitals, but her parents say her ordeal and ongoing recovery should be a warning as people take advantage of the outdoors this summer.

To read more on this story, click here: First COVID-19, Now Mosquitoes: Bracing for Bug-Borne Ills

Can Pets Get The Coronavirus, And Can We Catch It From Them? Here's The Science

Humans and animals share many diseases. And as dramatically shown by the tigers that tested positive in the Bronx Zoo, the coronavirus is one of them.

As three veterinary epidemiologists who study infectious disease, we have been asked a lot of questions about if and how the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 affects pets.

Can my pet get the coronavirus?

When talking about a virus, the words "get" or "catch" are vague. A more precise question is: Can my cat or dog become infected with SARS-CoV-2?

The answer is yes. There is evidence from real-world cases as well as laboratory experiments that both cats and dogs can become infected with coronavirus.

In Hong Kong, health officials have tested 17 dogs and eight cats living with COVID-19 patients for the coronavirus. They found evidence of the virus in two dogs: a Pomeranian and a German shepherd, though neither became sick.

None of the eight cats were infected or had been sick. However, there is a separate report of an infected cat from Hong Kong.

To read more on this story, click here: Can Pets Get The Coronavirus, And Can We Catch It From Them? Here's The Science

The Chinese Wild-Animal Industry and Wet Markets Must Go

The Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, in effect the executive committee of the Chinese Communist Party, in late February issued an edict banning the country’s “wet markets,” including those in Wuhan, the source of the current COVID-19 outbreak. The statement notes that “it is necessary to strengthen market supervision, resolutely ban and severely crack down on illegal wildlife markets and trade, and control major public health risks from the source.” The Straits Times of Singapore has reported that eight laws have been passed in the last week. We have no details on the contents of the legislation. It’s too soon to know, though, whether we have been down this road before.

To read more on this story, click here: The Chinese Wild-Animal Industry and Wet Markets Must Go