The recent H1N1 influenza epidemic has raised many questions about how animal viruses move to human populations. One potential route is through veterinarians, who, according to a new report by University of Iowa College of Public Health researchers, are at markedly increased risk of infection with zoonotic pathogens -- the viruses and bacteria that can infect both animals and humans.
While there is no evidence that veterinarians played a direct role in the current H1N1 epidemic, the review found that veterinarians can serve as a "bridging population," spreading pathogens to their families, their communities and the various groups of animals for which they provide care. The paper appears in the May 15 issue of the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (http://avmajournals.avma.org/loi/javma).
So yeah, there you have it. You, yes YOU Doctor Becky, will be the plague bearer.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2009-05-17 04:09 pm (UTC)Veterinarians at high risk for viral, bacterial infections from animals
So yeah, there you have it. You, yes YOU Doctor Becky, will be the plague bearer.