SOURCE: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Published: Oct. 9, 2005
An archive of pet columns from the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine is on the Web at
http://www.cvm.uiuc.edu/petcolumns.
Recent media attention to canine influenza has alarmed dog owners. As with any emerging disease, new information is learned about canine influenza each day. The University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine has assembled these quick facts to address the concerns of area dog owners.
Canine Influenza
* Canine influenza-new influenza strain-was first reported in January 2004 at a Florida greyhound track.
* The virus was first identified in the pet population in spring 2005, when the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine isolated and identified a strain of the influenza virus as a cause of a serious respiratory illness in dogs in shelters, humane societies, boarding facilities, and veterinary hospitals in that state.
* This virus, belonging to the influenza A family, is a mutated strain of an equine influenza virus that has been detected in horses for over 40 years.
* This specific strain of influenza is not known to infect humans or poultry.
* As of October 7, 2005, 2:00 p.m., (Eastern) confirmed positive sero samples of canine influenza had been diagnosed in the pet populations in ten states: Florida, New York, California, Oregon, Washington, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. It had also been diagnosed in Washington, D.C.
* As of October 7, 2005, there had been no reported cases of canine influenza in the State of Illinois.
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http://www.aces.uiuc.edu/news/stories/news3359.html
