(Combating New Crown Pneumonia) The first "low-level infection" pet dog and the mystery behind it
China News Agency, Beijing, March 7th: The first "low-level infection" pet dog and the mystery behind it
Author Huang Yuqin
On March 4, the Hong Kong Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (hereinafter referred to as the "AFCD") announced that the world's first case of low-level infection with the new crown virus in pet dogs had aroused widespread concern in the world.
It is understood that the owner of the pet dog is a patient diagnosed with new crown pneumonia. The dog has shown weak positive reactions in multiple tests of new crown virus, but there are no related symptoms at present. Officials believe the dog has been "low-level infected with the new crown virus."
It is worth noting that the AFCD pointed out in the notification on the same day that "the dog has been infected with the virus to a low degree and is likely to be transmitted by humans." As the World Health Organization has repeatedly stated publicly that there is no evidence that the dog is currently available Cats and other pets are infected or may have transmitted the new coronavirus. Therefore, related expressions of AFCD, such as "one stone stirs up thousands of waves," can't help but confuse the public to regenerate: Will pets infect or even spread New Crown virus?
WHO maintains its previous views. On March 5, local time, Maria Van Kerkhove, technical director of WHO's emergency affairs project, responded to a news conference in Geneva, saying, "We have no evidence that the virus can be transmitted from human to dog or from dog to dog. Contagious. This is just one case, but no doubt it deserves further study. "
Regarding what kind of evidence can be called "strong evidence", Gregory C. Gray, a professor of infectious diseases at Duke University in the United States, told a reporter from the China News Agency, "If you infect humans with the gene sequence of the new crown virus strain It is extremely similar to infected dogs in order to be a strong proof of the virus's cross-species transmission. "This also means that pet dogs that are currently weakly positive only by nucleic acid detection cannot be direct evidence that the virus can be transmitted between species.
In response, Xue Hanzong, Assistant Director (Inspection and Quarantine) of AFCD also pointed out in an interview on March 6 that the School of Public Health of the University of Hong Kong will conduct a virus genetic analysis on this pet dog and perform a serum antibody test. Determine if it is transmitted directly to the dog by the host.
At the same day's press conference, Fancockhofer also said that WHO is working with relevant parties in Hong Kong, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Organisation for Animal Health to look for (more) pets in patients with new crown pneumonia for further research.
The reporter consulted the official website of the World Organisation for Animal Health and found that the Hong Kong side had reported relevant information to the organization on March 1 and would report weekly progress thereafter. Although there is currently the world's first case of a pet dog being tested as "weakly positive," the official website still states that there is currently no evidence that dogs can spread the disease to humans, and there is no evidence that dogs can develop illness.
From the current situation, even if the test results transmit the virus to dogs for the host, the public does not seem to have to panic too much.
Michael Ryan, executive director of the WHO Health Emergency Program, said at a news conference on March 5 that it was not unusual to find animals infected with the virus during an outbreak of a new disease. Similar cases are found in SARS and the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS).
"This has always been a problem in emerging diseases, and we need to answer a core question, whether the animal is closely related to the spread of the disease, and the answer is no." Ryan pointed out that in this case, it is better to say this only The dog is more like a victim.
Professor Vanessa Barrs, an animal health expert at the City University of Hong Kong, confirmed in an interview with our reporter that the pet dog virus test was weakly positive in 2003 during the SARS period.
"During the SARS period, eight cats and one dog were positive for the SARS virus after the cats and dogs of patients diagnosed at Amoy Gardens in Hong Kong were tested for genetic viruses," Barrs said. "But they were all asymptomatic infections. It did not spread the virus to other animals or humans. "
Barls specifically pointed out the issue of viral dose. She emphasized that all the evidence now shows that new coronary pneumonia is the result of human-to-human transmission. Humans must be exposed to adequate viral doses of new coronal pneumonia, and "low-infection" dogs do not contain enough virus to cause human infection.
The World Organisation for Animal Health has also stated that there is no reason to take any action that would harm the happiness and safety of companion animals.
At present, "infection" of a dog does not mean that it is "contagious" to become a consensus among many virus biology experts. Many experts remind pet owners to keep good hygiene habits and keep the home environment clean and hygienic. People who are unwell should avoid contact with animals. But don't worry too much, and pets should never be abandoned.
At the end of January, the rumors that pet cats and dogs would spread the epidemic became loud, causing public panic and triggering abandoning the tide. In multiple cities, the owner dropped cats and dogs down high-rise buildings, which eventually led to many tragedies. (Finish)