A recently discovered virus has killed multiple dogs in Ohio.
Widely reported as being the result of infections of a rare canine virus – Canine Circovirus – contracted during kennel stays, the summer dog deaths have shocked the state and have left many weary of boarding their pets away from home.
Reports across the US have cited Canine Circovirus, a rare and only recently discovered bug that can kill dogs in isolated cases.
According to reports, four dogs have died of symptoms resembling those found in pets infected with circovirus – bloody diarrhea and vomiting. Other symptoms of the virus include hemorrhaging, lethargy, vasculitis and weight loss, according to the state.
Three of the deceased dogs stayed at the same kennel in Cincinnati in August, with another dog dead of similar symptoms discovered recently near Akron, reports said. Not all dogs with those symptoms have died, according.
Samples from all four dead dogs have been sent to a California lab for further testing, but authorities are no closer to determining the exact cause of the dogs’ deaths than they were when the announcement was made.
A recently discovered virus has killed multiple dogs in Ohio
Officials are more concerned with eliminating possibilities than they are blaming a recently-discovered virus and causing a panic.
No other dogs have died of similar symptoms since the DOH announcement was made last week.
Canine Circovirus, discovered earlier this year, is closely related to a similar virus that kills pigs, according to the Centers for Disease Control. It is not thought to be specific to any one breed, but scientists know very little about it at this time.
Akron veterinarian Melanie Butera told the Columbus Dispatch that she had treated many dogs with similar symptoms, but they had survived.
An unidentified doggie day care in the Cincinnati area has closed as a result of the outbreak and a nearby dog park has been closed until further notice to protect vulnerable pooches, according to WEWS.
This despite health officials saying they aren’t sure how the circovirus is spread, but that they believe the window for transmission among dogs is very small.
“The circovirus is not shed in the stool of sick dogs for more than a few days,” Melanie Butera told the Akron Beacon Journal health officials cautioned her.
She added: “This makes it less likely to be transmitted dog to dog unless the dog is in contact with a sick one at that time. Sick dogs are unlikely to be at the dog park.”
For now, authorities are asking that people keep a close eye on their pets and that if they notice anything unusual to bring it to the attention of a vet.
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New research shows that bug bombs are ineffective against bed-bug pests. In a new study, the first of its kind to be published, etymologists at Ohio State University tested three commercially available foggers – sold under the Hot Shot, Spectracide, and Eliminator brands, respectively – and concluded that all three products were virtually useless at fighting bed bug infestations.
In “Ineffectiveness of Over-the-Counter Total-Release Foggers Against the Bed Bug (Heteroptera: Cimicidae),” an article appearing in the June issue of JEE, authors Susan C. Jones and Joshua L. Bryant provide the first scientific evidence that these products should not be recommended for control of this increasingly worrisome urban pest.
“There has always been this perception and feedback from the pest-management industry that over-the-counter foggers are not effective against bed bugs and might make matters worse,” said Susan Jones, an urban entomologist with the university’s Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC) and a household and structural pest specialist with OSU Extension. “But up until now there has been no published data regarding the efficacy of foggers against bedbugs.”
Researchers exposed five different groups of live bedbugs to the products for two hours, and found few adverse effects on the bugs. When the bugs had a place to hide, as in real-world conditions, few died as a result of exposure to the foggers.
The only exception was one group of bedbugs that died in significant numbers five to seven days after being directly exposed to one of the foggers.
But the researchers say it’s very unlikely that bedbugs will be directly exposed to the mist from insect foggers because they can hide very easily in small spaces.
“These foggers don’t penetrate in cracks and crevices where most bed bugs are hiding, so most of them will survive,” Jones said. “If you use these products, you will not get the infestation under control, you will waste your money, and you will delay effective treatment of your infestation. Bed bugs are among the most difficult and expensive urban pests to control. It typically takes a professional to do it right. Also, the ineffective use of these products can lead to further resistance in insects.”
Bedbugs are hitchhikers, they get into your house by clinging on to clothing, shoes, handbags and upholstered furniture. Once they’re in our house, they can live up to eight months without “eating”. The tiny bugs breed quickly and if you don’t treat for bedbugs quickly, you’ll have a major infestation on your hands. Experts say 40 bed bugs today will be 6000 in 6 months! Bedbugs don’t have to live on mattresses, they can also live in furniture and in walls.
Bed bugs are a major nuisance but generally don’t pose a threat to health, as their bites rarely cause more than itching welts or the occasional allergic reaction. Foggers, on the other hand, can be hazardous if used incorrectly.
In a 2008 report, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicated that at least 466 fogger-related injuries or illnesses were documented across eight states between 2001 and 2006. The most common ill effects—such as headaches, nausea, and coughing – tended to be minor and short-lived, although hospitalization was required in 21 cases.
“Bedbugs are among the most difficult and expensive urban pests to control. It typically takes a professional to do it right,” says Jones. “Also, the ineffective use of these products can lead to further resistance in insects.”
Additionally, the CDC says excessive use of bug bombs, foggers, and other insecticides against bedbugs can lead to human illness and possibly death.
Journal source: http://www.entsoc.org/Pubs/Periodicals/JEE
Patrick White “continually harassed and chastised a woman for coughing and spreading disease” while they were on the plane last week
Patrick White from Georgia had a serious problem with a woman coughing on his American Airlines flight to Jacksonville International Airport in Florida.
Patrick White spent the plane ride harassing the sick 19-year-old, according to police.
Unsatisfied that he had made his point, as passengers were getting off the plane last week, Patrick White began calling her obscene names and telling her that she had “infected everyone” on the flight.
The man then charged her and body slammed her with his shoulder, knocking her against the wall, a flight attendant said.
Patrick White was arrested on charges of misdemeanor battery.
According to a police report, Patrick White “continually harassed and chastised (the woman) for coughing and <<spreading disease>>” while they were on the plane last week.
Patrick White was apparently so afraid of getting sick that he became enraged during the flight, police said.
As a small irony, after his arrest, Patrick White was taken to county jail.
However, Patrick White might have had a point, of sorts. A new study suggests air travelers have a 20% chance of catching a cold or other bug.
The Centers for Disease Control says travelers are most at risk from catching a virus from fellow passengers within a two seat radius.
Experts say wiping down tray tables and other surfaces with disinfectant wipes can help prevent the spread of diseases on an airplane.
And in many ways, the recirculated air is fresher than the air most people breathe in their office buildings, since it always contains air from the outside and, in modern aircraft, is passed through a filter.
