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Sunday, January 24, 2021
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The Dog Flu Is Spreading To More States

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"dog flu"

Unfortunately, it appears that the dog flu is spreading to more states across the nation, now reaching around 2,000 sickened pets since spring of last year. More dogs around the United States seem to be catching the canine influenza, otherwise known as the dog flu.

Cases spread to 24 states

While it’s not uncommon for veterinarians to deal with cases of dog flu, it seems that there has been a worrying upsurge in numbers. Currently, there are 24 states hit by the disease, with Washington being the last one added to the list. They are unfortunate situations that could be very well resolved without any sort of intervention, but they could also develop into more serious conditions.

The number of cases have increased and experts are becoming more concerned with the circumstances. More dogs are being diagnosed with the H3N2 strain of the influenza virus, which is more commonly found in rats, cats, and guinea pigs. However, it appears that the disease can spread to canines, especially if they have come into contact with the aforementioned animals.

Pet owners are advised to consult a veterinarian if they noted their dog displaying any of the symptoms. This includes coughing, runny nose, fever, lethargy, or other types of respiratory problems. In essence, the telltale signs would be the same as a human infected with the flu. The incubation period for the virus is 24 hours, so your beloved pet might start showing symptoms a full day after coming into contact with it.

It was noted that this strain of the influenza virus is not particularly deadly. The pets could recover just fine on their own, but in more tragic situation, it can also lead to pneumonia which is ultimately fatal to man’s best friend.

The disease can spread from other dogs as well, which led to several kennels across the state to temporarily close in Washington. However, the infection seems to have progressed and has been encountered in states such as Seattle, Texas, Montana, and Chicago, so pet owners should be well aware of its existence.

Early detection is key

Some prevention methods would be first making sure your dog is vaccinated against the flu. Reportedly, it will not diminish the risk of your pet getting the disease, but it will make the virus much less dangerous. And, hopefully, it would also eliminate the risk of serious complications.

It’s also important to know that owners might have a significant role in its spreading. They are advised to properly wash their hands regularly so they may not inadvertently carry and infect their pet.

Early detection and treatment are crucial to assuring your dog’s health, so owners are strongly urged to contact veterinarians if any of the symptoms are encountered.

Image source: abcnews.go.com

Flu vaccine’s effectiveness drops to 25% as compared to the conventional 50% to 60% CDC reports

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Flu

According to reports released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC, the vaccine developed to fight against the onset of the flu virus is quite inefficient as its efficiency drops to almost 25 % which is quite less compared to the average 50 % to 60 % effectiveness of the vaccine.

The vaccine this year has been quite a poor match for the virus that’s infecting most people. As a result doctors and public health experts are aggressively adopting the use of antiviral drugs to treat influenza. This has primarily been the routine case especially for the most sickly and vulnerable patients.

According to health experts the flu vaccine is only 50 % to 60 % effective when the flu shot matches well to the influenza strains that are commonly in circulation.

And this ineffectiveness results in more people getting sick as a result of flu this year. In addition to this, those who get sick even have more pronounced symptoms as well. Therefore the CDC has issued routinely notifications to doctors and health practitioners in order to give antivirals to all patients who are hospitalized in particular due to flu.

It’s not easy to tell who is suffering from flu without lab tests whose reports come after a day or two. But a person who is all of a sudden suffering from severe aches and high fever coupled with some respiratory complaints, all in one time then this mostly sounds like flu and the person of this sort should be treated right away, said Dr. David Bush who is the chief of the infectious diseases division in the Department of Medicine at California Pacific Medical Center.

Flu infections continue to outpace last year’s rate

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Health officials say that Flu infections have outrun the last year’s percentage in San Diego County.

Lab has confirmed 607 influenza cases this season which were previously recorded to be 359 last season. Similarly patients seeking treatment for the flu in emergency rooms are found to be 9 percent which is thrice the rate recorded last season.

According to the county’s Health and Human Services Agency, There have been no flu-related deaths reported so far.
Public-Health experts say that there is still time for the people to get vaccinated as it only takes two weeks for the body to produce enough antibodies against the virus.

But according to the researchers the virus H3N2 have mutated this season so the vaccine doesn’t offer full protection against the virus. CDC has predicted that flu this season would be a severe one. Further research is been going to empower the vaccine.

To reduce risks of the flu thorough hand washing and use of sanitizers have been recommended by health experts. They also urge people to avoid touching their nose, eyes, nose and mouth with their fingers, and to minimize the risk of contagion by staying home when sick.

For further information and details call 211 or visit sdiz.org. People without health insurance may want to consider seeking a flu shot at one of the county’s immunization clinics.

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