KOLO (Nevada): Nevada launches website for kids to learn about zoonotic diseases. “One Health Nevada is an interactive website for kids to learn about how diseases spread between animals and humans and what people can do to keep themselves and animals healthy. The site is geared towards kids involved in 4-H, or those who own pets, livestock, enjoy hunting, fishing or being outdoors. They can also find health tips, activities and educational resources.”
Tag Archives: zoonosis
Cornell Chronicle: Dog coronavirus jumps to humans, with a protein shift
Cornell Chronicle: Dog coronavirus jumps to humans, with a protein shift. “Cornell researchers have identified a shift that occurs in canine coronavirus that points to a possible pattern of change found in other coronaviruses and which may provide clues to how they transmit to humans from animals.”
New York Times: Which Animal Viruses Could Infect People? Computers Are Racing to Find Out.
New York Times: Which Animal Viruses Could Infect People? Computers Are Racing to Find Out.. “Machine learning is known for its ability to spot fraudulent credit charges or recognize faces. Now researchers are siccing the technology on viruses.”
University of Minnesota: CIDRAP awarded $1 million in grants to create a Coronavirus Vaccines R&D Roadmap
University of Minnesota: CIDRAP awarded $1 million in grants to create a Coronavirus Vaccines R&D Roadmap. “The Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) at the University of Minnesota announced today that it has received grants from The Rockefeller Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to create a Coronavirus Vaccines Research and Development (R&D) Roadmap aimed at developing broadly protective vaccines against betacoronaviruses, which predominantly circulate in bats and rodents and can ‘spill over’ to human populations. ”
Into the wild: Animals the latest frontier in COVID fight (Associated Press)
Associated Press: Into the wild: Animals the latest frontier in COVID fight. “Scientists are concerned that the virus could evolve within animal populations – potentially spawning dangerous viral mutants that could jump back to people, spread among us and reignite what for now seems to some people like a waning crisis.”
BuzzFeed News: Even Carole Baskin’s Tigers Had COVID. Here’s How It’s Affecting Animals In Zoos And Sanctuaries Across The US.
BuzzFeed News: Even Carole Baskin’s Tigers Had COVID. Here’s How It’s Affecting Animals In Zoos And Sanctuaries Across The US.. “…it’s not that surprising that [Carole] Baskin’s tiger tested positive for COVID; it’s been a common problem in zoos and sanctuaries throughout the pandemic. This is unsettling news for animal welfare, but there could be even more distressing implications for public health. When there is an animal outbreak of SARS-CoV-2, the virus can mutate and even spread back to humans. Worst-case scenario, a new variant will form that is extra contagious or causes more severe illness. Such concerns have given rise to the development of special veterinary vaccines specifically to prevent COVID in animals.”
CBC: Canadian researchers discover 1st possible case of deer spreading COVID-19 virus to a human
CBC: Canadian researchers discover 1st possible case of deer spreading COVID-19 virus to a human. “In a world first, preliminary research suggests deer may be able to transmit the COVID-19 virus to humans, following analysis by a team of Canadian scientists monitoring the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in animals. Up until now, researchers have only found evidence of humans spreading the virus to deer, and deer spreading it to other deer.”
New York Times: New York Deer Infected With Omicron, Study Finds
New York Times: New York Deer Infected With Omicron, Study Finds. “White-tailed deer on Staten Island have been found carrying the highly transmissible Omicron variant of the coronavirus, marking the first time the variant has been reported in wild animals.”
Reuters: Hong Kong to cull hamsters after COVID-19 found in pet shop
Reuters: Hong Kong to cull hamsters after COVID-19 found in pet shop. “Hong Kong ordered a cull of 2,000 hamsters on Tuesday and warned pet owners not to kiss animals after a cluster of COVID-19 cases was traced to a pet shop. The outbreak of Delta variant cases in humans linked to the shop worker prompted tests on hundreds of animals in the Chinese-ruled territory, with 11 hamsters showing up positive.”
Bloomberg: Covid-19 infected lions prompt variant warning in South Africa
Bloomberg: Covid-19 infected lions prompt variant warning in South Africa. “Lions and pumas at a zoo in the South African capital of Pretoria got severe Covid-19 from asymptomatic zoo handlers, raising concerns that new variants could emerge from animal reservoirs of the disease, studies carried out by a local university showed.”
NBC News: Covid is rampant among deer, research shows
NBC News: Covid is rampant among deer, research shows. “The research suggests the coronavirus could be taking hold in a free-ranging species that numbers about 30 million in the United States. No cases of Covid spread from deer to human have been reported, but it’s possible, scientists say. It’s a reminder that human health is intertwined with that of animals and inattention to other species could prolong the pandemic and complicate the quest to control Covid.”
Arizona State University: Machine learning identifies mammal species with the potential to spread SARS-CoV-2
Arizona State University: Machine learning identifies mammal species with the potential to spread SARS-CoV-2. “Back-and-forth transmission of SARS-CoV-2 between people and other mammals increases the risk of new variants and threatens efforts to control COVID-19. A new study, published today in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, used a novel modeling approach to predict the zoonotic capacity of 5,400 mammal species, extending predictive capacity by an order of magnitude. Of the high-risk species flagged, many live near people and in COVID-19 hot spots.”
Phys .org: Global urbanization created the conditions for the current coronavirus pandemic
Phys .org: Global urbanization created the conditions for the current coronavirus pandemic. “Wildlife trade, deforestation, land conversion, industrial animal farming and burning fossil fuels are contributing to the increasing frequency of novel zoonotic diseases. Urbanization is both a driver of zoonosis and a determining influence on human-nature and human-animal relationships.”