(SCHAUMBURG, Illinois)–Following weeks of collaborating with public health agencies and experts from around the country, The American Veterinary medical association (AVMA) has issued assistance for health officials dealing with the animals of people exposed to the Ebola virus.
Photo: U.S. DoD, army Sgt. 1st class Tyrone C. Marshall, Jr.
The assistance has been in development because early October, when a canine in Spain was euthanized after its owner became sick from the Ebola virus. A similar case emerged shortly afterwards in Dallas, where a nurse with a canine evaluated positive for Ebola. Unlike in Spain, the canine in Dallas was placed in quarantine for 21 days and released after showing no symptoms and twice testing negative for the virus.
In response, the AVMA convened several working groups with the USDA, CDC, and other health agencies and experts to develop assistance for public health officials on how to assess, handle, and monitor companion animals that may have been exposed to the virus.
The AVMA said the development of this assistance was a long process due to its novel and complex nature, as well as the lack of scientific data on Ebola and companion animals currently available. but this morning the following files were posted online for AVMA members:
Interim assistance for Public health officials on animals of Ebola virus disease Contacts provides assistance for the management of pets, specifically dogs and cats, owned by Ebola virus contacts.
Interim assistance for canine or cat Quarantine After exposure to a Human with confirmed Ebola virus Disease describes the process for conducting a risk assessment for exposure of dogs and cats that had contact with a human with laboratory-confirmed evidence of Ebola, and it describes how to execute quarantine of dogs or cats if deemed suitable by state and federal human and animal health officials.
In addition to these documents, the AVMA has a number of resources available for veterinarians, health officials, and the public on its site at www.avma.org/Ebola. The AVMA will be continuously monitoring these resources and updating them as much more information becomes available.
For much more information, contact Michael San Filippo, AVMA’s senior media relations specialist, at 847-285-6687 (office), 847-732-6194 (cell), ormsanfilippo@avma.org.
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The AVMA, founded in 1863, is one of the oldest and largest veterinary medical organizations in the world, with much more than 85,000 member veterinarians worldwide engaged in a broad variety of professional activities and dedicated to the art and science of veterinary medicine.