Bird flu in a cat in Germany... but probably not in the Bahamas
If swans can get it and turkeys can get it and humans can get it... why not a cat? National Geographic wrote about this Wednesday, March 1, but I just found it today.
"It has long been known from Asia that cats can be infected if they eat infected birds."
That's interesting, because I've read repeatedly that humans cannot become infected from eating poultry that has the virus. "Eat chicken!" the French and Indians are being told. But a cat should not do the same? I suppose the cats are eating carcasses, while humans generally cook their meat, so that's one difference.
And I know we don't want people to become paranoid. The poultry industry is suffering greatly, and local economies will as well. National Geographic does say wild cats have died of bird flu in Thailand, so we're supposed to believe it's not a big deal. The NY Times, too, doesn't seem to think it's cause for crisis, because its article on the cat is rather anecdotal and doesn't quote medical authorities. And there aren't many other articles, at least at this point, written about the cat. But it strikes me as pretty odd. And not just because Germans are being ordered to keep their cats indoors.
In other news, Poland reports some swans found dead there probably had bird flu, but authorities are awaiting test results.
And rather closer to the United States, the bird flu was ruled out in the deaths of 10 birds found in the Bahamas. But not because of tests - the birds were too decomposed to test them. So authorities (definitely not influenced by the effect bird flu could have on a tourism-based economy) ruled that the birds probably didn't have bird flu. Yeah, probably not.
"It has long been known from Asia that cats can be infected if they eat infected birds."
That's interesting, because I've read repeatedly that humans cannot become infected from eating poultry that has the virus. "Eat chicken!" the French and Indians are being told. But a cat should not do the same? I suppose the cats are eating carcasses, while humans generally cook their meat, so that's one difference.
And I know we don't want people to become paranoid. The poultry industry is suffering greatly, and local economies will as well. National Geographic does say wild cats have died of bird flu in Thailand, so we're supposed to believe it's not a big deal. The NY Times, too, doesn't seem to think it's cause for crisis, because its article on the cat is rather anecdotal and doesn't quote medical authorities. And there aren't many other articles, at least at this point, written about the cat. But it strikes me as pretty odd. And not just because Germans are being ordered to keep their cats indoors.
In other news, Poland reports some swans found dead there probably had bird flu, but authorities are awaiting test results.
And rather closer to the United States, the bird flu was ruled out in the deaths of 10 birds found in the Bahamas. But not because of tests - the birds were too decomposed to test them. So authorities (definitely not influenced by the effect bird flu could have on a tourism-based economy) ruled that the birds probably didn't have bird flu. Yeah, probably not.
posted by bp at
8:37 AM
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