Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Cat In Iowa Tested Positive for the 2009 H1N1 Virus

Wow!
I wanted to post this right away because I was under the impression (as I am sure that many others are) that animals cannot catch the H1N1 virus. I just received this email from Dr. Jon at  Petplace and I have copied the article, please read:

"A cat in Iowa has tested positive for the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus, state officials confirmed this morning, marking the first time a cat has been diagnosed with this strain of influenza.




The cat, which has recovered, is believed to have caught the virus from someone in the household who was sick with H1N1. There are no indications that the cat passed the virus on to any other animals or people.



Prior to this diagnosis, the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus had been found in humans, pigs, birds and ferrets.



To date, H1N1 influenza virus infection of pigs has been reported in Canada, Argentina, Singapore, the United Kingdom (Northern Ireland), Ireland, Norway, the U.S. and Japan. It has also been reported in turkeys in Chile and Canada. Based on the evidence available at this time, the infections were spread from humans to the animals."

2 comments:

  1. I got that news from Dr Jon too, and I think we need to pass it along! People need to be careful. Thanks for posting this Caren!
    The blog is great, I will be keeping up with it as much as I can!
    Take Care, Sharon

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  2. Sharon thanks so much and thanks for reading!!

    Yep I thought it was super important to post as well. I was shocked when I read that a cat could get it. (However that cat was 13), will worry much more if I hear of younger cats getting it, but it is still important to get the word out.

    You are a HUGE cat expert! Please feel free to share any and all stories, tips, suggestions, anything!!!! Thanks for commenting too!!!

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