Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Dog of Dallas nurse raises questions about Ebola and pets

Dog of Dallas nurse raises questions about Ebola and pets

Atlanta Journal Constitution - ‎55 minutes ago‎
This Oct. 13, 2014, photo released via Twitter by the City of Dallas Public Information Managing Director Sana Syed shows Bentley in Dallas, the one-year-old King Charles Spaniel belonging to Nina Pham, the nurse who contracted Ebola.
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Updated: 3:44 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2014 | Posted: 3:44 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2014

Dog of Dallas nurse raises questions about Ebola and pets

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This Oct. 13, 2014, photo released via Twitter by the City of Dallas Public Information Managing Director Sana Syed shows Bentley in Dallas, the one-year-old King Charles Spaniel belonging to Nina Pham, the nurse who contracted Ebola. Bentley has been taken from Pham's Dallas apartment and will be cared for at an undisclosed location. (AP Photo/Courtesy of Sana Syed/PIO, City of Dallas)
Health officials urge hospitals to 'think Ebola' photo
This 2010 photo provided by tcu360.com, the yearbook of Texas Christian University, shows Nina Pham, 26, who became the first person to contract the disease within the United States. Records show that Pham and other health care workers wore protective gear, including gowns, gloves, masks and face shields and sometimes full-body suits when caring for Thomas Eric Duncan. (AP Photo/Courtesy of tcu360.com)
By Amy Kluber
DALLAS —
Texas nurse Nina Pham is the first person to contract Ebola within the U.S. She's currently being treated at a Dallas hospital — but what will happen to her pet dog?
It was the same question raised in response to a nurse who contracted Ebola in Spain. The Madrid later government made the decision to have the woman's dog euthanized, over fears it could be a carrier of the virus.
But it seems Pham's dog will avoid that same fate. Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings told USA Today the dog will be kept safe and quarantined in another location while Pham is treated. Her apartment is also being decontaminated.
The Dallas Police Department has even been keeping the public updated on the dog during this process.
But why is there so much attention on a furry friend? Some media outlets note what happened in Spain versus the States highlights what experts don't know.
>> Read more trending stories
The reality is — there's not a lot of information about the risk of Ebola in animals or whether humans can even become infected by domesticated pets.
Here's what we do know — The Washington Post points out Ebola can spread to humans by way of other mammals. One possible way is by eating infected meat. But it's still unclear whether dogs transmit Ebola through bodily fluids in the same way humans do.
A medical expert tells CNN this shouldn't worry anyone. "Pets have not been a feature of Ebola spread, whether in Africa and certainly not here in the developed world."
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there have been no reported Ebola sicknesses in dogs or cats so far. Probably because there isn't even a known test available for animals.
As for why the dog in Spain was euthanized, the International Society for Infectious Diseases says, "In some legal systems, as in the law of the European Union, the application of the precautionary principle has been made a statutory requirement in some areas of law."
Nina Pham continues to receive treatment as her dog is kept safe. She says she is currently doing well after receiving a blood transfusion.
This video includes an image from Getty Images.
 

Dog of Dallas nurse raises questions about Ebola and pets

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