Companion animal: Companion animal: Animal People: News:

In the case of corona19, the first companion animal in Korea, experts said that there is no need to have vague anxiety, saying that no cases have been confirmed by animals to humans. Getty Image Bank

‘Should dogs and cats wear masks?’ ‘Can a street cat spread the corona?’ In Korea, as a companion animal has been confirmed to be infected with Corona 19 for the first time, curiosity about the protection and management of companion animals is growing. According to the quarantine authorities on the 25th, the infected animal is a kitten that was raised at the Jinju International Prayer Center in Gyeongnam Province. Currently, there are more than 100 confirmed cases nationwide related to this facility.
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“There is no case of transmission from animals to people… People who are dangerous”

The first concern raised in the news of Korea’s first confirmed companion animal was the possibility of the companion animal spreading to humans. In response, experts emphasized that no cases of transmission of Corona 19 from animals to humans have been confirmed so far, and that excessive anxiety should be refrained from. On the 26th, Professor Cheon Myung-seon, a professor at Seoul National University’s Veterinary School, said in a phone call with Appi on the 26th, “The first confirmed case of an animal is known, and many people are worried that animals are being passed on to humans. There have been several cases of infection of animals to confirmed patients worldwide, but no cases have been confirmed by animals spreading to humans.”

Corona 19 animal infection case. Provided by the Korean Veterinary Association

On the 25th, the Korean Veterinary Association also said, “Because it is more likely to spread from person to animal than from animal to person, people who are suspected of corona 19 infection should minimize contact with animals and wild animals at homes, farms, and zoos. “Please do thorough personal quarantine.” In addition, data released by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), World Animal Health Organization (OIE), and the American Veterinary Medical Association have been summarized and’Information on Corona 19 Infection in Animals’ has been released on the website. Taken together, the major companion species, dogs and cats, have both confirmed corona19 outbreaks in natural conditions (daily life) or in laboratory. Cats were highly susceptible to viruses such as tigers, lions, and mink, but dogs were on the lower side. Symptoms include coughing, sneezing, difficulty breathing, vomiting, diarrhea, and fever, and asymptomatic infections occurred as in humans.
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Personal hygiene and distancing animals are the same

If so, what can be done to prevent transmission from companions and protect animals? The quarantine rules for animals were not significantly different from those of general humans. The American Veterinary Association advised that “cats should stay at home as much as possible, and when walking with dogs, wear a leash and keep a distance of at least 1.5m from people around them.” He also said, “It is better to avoid visiting dog playgrounds or public places where many people and animals gather.”▶Related Article: Pets Need’Social Distance’) If your companion is a confirmed coronavirus or suspects infection, you should refrain from contacting your companion animal as well as humans. According to the US CDC’s Provisional Guidelines on Animals in Families with Coronavirus Infection, if a companion has Corona 19, the animal should be taken care of by an unconfirmed family member, petting, hugging, kissing, and sharing food or bed. It is written to refrain from the following. If there is no one to take care of the animal other than the confirmed person, it is recommended to wear a mask and wash your hands before contacting your pet.

The Korean Veterinary Association said that the quarantine rules for animals are not very different from those of humans. It was recommended to refrain from petting and kissing, and to avoid visiting parks and playgrounds where many animals gather. Getty Image Bank

Professor Chun Myung-seon said, “If you look at the data so far, it can be determined that the risk of Corona 19 in companion animals such as dogs and cats is not very high. There were no fatal cases such as death because the symptoms of confirmed animals known worldwide were also weak.” He added, “We know that the protocol of the American Veterinary Medical Association will proceed by quarantining the animal for 14 days and then treating it as in general infectious disease treatment when an outbreak is confirmed.” Professor Chun said, “There is still insufficient information about the corona19 infection in animals, but it is difficult to see that animals play any role in the spread of the virus.” Emphasized.
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“You should not abandon or abuse animals due to anxiety”

The confirmation of Corona 19 in animals was first confirmed in Hong Kong in March last year, when a dog tested positive for Corona 19. Since then, 8 cases of animal infection have been reported in 23 countries. It mainly occurred in companion animals such as dogs and cats in the confirmed family, mink in farms, tigers and lions in zoos. Last year Mink farm in DenmarkCross-species transmission (human → mink → human) and mutant virus were detected in the laboratory, but it was analyzed that the factory-style dense breeding environment affected large-scale infection. Currently, there are no guidelines for the treatment or management of confirmed animals in Korea, and it is known that the quarantine authorities and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs are preparing guidelines for managing companion animals after the first confirmed case. The Korean Veterinary Association announced that it would install a companion animal corona 19 infection control room and monitor the outbreak.
By Kim Ji-sook, staff reporter [email protected]