Vet on call: With Covid-19, keep your animals safe than be sorry

Italian milk farmer Dario Sereno has a protective face mask on as he attends to his dairy cattle. While currently, there is no scientific evidence that Covid-19 affects cattle and other livestock, farmers must take care when handling all types of animals during the pandemic. Animals, including livestock, should not be handled by people suspected to be infected with the disease. PHOTO | COURTESY

What you need to know:

  • Interestingly, the Chinese handling of the disease epidemic has become the gold standard in managing the pandemic globally.
  • A disease will normally start with an outbreak and this is when it occurs in higher than expected numbers or is a new disease.
  • However, nobody appreciated the highly contagious nature of the new virus — that it could even infect faster and apparently more efficiently than the common cold.
  • There have been numerous claims of effectiveness of management protocols of the disease and characteristics of the virus.

An American federal official recently said that dealing with Covid-19 and the virus that causes it is like flying an aircraft under construction.

You are not even sure if the landing gear will deploy when landing. Also, a touch of the wrong button may result in a nosedive and crush.

This virus really pulled a fast one on medical and biological scientists globally. The initial Chinese reaction of attempting to deal with it without involving the rest of the world further aggravated the matter.

Initial government measures of total confinement, social distancing and cessation of all but essential socio-economic activities in Wuhan, the pandemic epicentre, attracted harsh criticisms from the democratic world, citing authoritarian rule and suppression of individual freedoms.

Interestingly, the Chinese handling of the disease epidemic has become the gold standard in managing the pandemic globally.

Before going further, let me first explain some medical terms we should all understand as they are constantly being used during the current emergency.

A disease will normally start with an outbreak and this is when it occurs in higher than expected numbers or is a new disease.

For instance, we expect no cases of foot and mouth disease in Kenya. The first case in an area becomes an outbreak and control measures must be taken immediately.

If the outbreak is not controlled, then it proceeds to an epidemic where the disease spreads in terms of area and number of cases.

Finally, there is the pandemic which develops from the epidemic. A pandemic covers a large area and numerous disease cases spanning over one or more countries and even the whole globe like we currently have with the new coronavirus (Covid-19).

Responders to the Covid-19 pandemic have been flying the aircraft while still constructing it. The Chinese felt they could quickly deal with the virus and possibly report later or announce the discovery of a new virus.

They were wrong. It got out of hand and they had to admit to the whole world that the virus had the potential of becoming a global colossus.

CONTAGIOUS NATURE

However, nobody appreciated the highly contagious nature of the new virus — that it could even infect faster and apparently more efficiently than the common cold.

The Americans and Europeans initially banked on distance from China and superior scientific research and medical care systems.

They missed the speed of spread until Italy, Spain and Germany were quickly rounded up into the Covid-19 stable with severely damaging consequences.

Africa, on the other hand, was bidding time on its low level of international interaction but again, the continent failed to take into account that spread of the virus did not require mass migration.

It only needed a few infected people to travel and create numerous infection transmitters in their travel path and final destination.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) was also busy doing its aerial construction. It first declared the virus not to be airborne and advised people to copiously wash hands with soap, sanitise with alcohol-based preparations and keep social distance.

Initially, the distance was one metre but has since changed to one-and-a-half to two. It also said only people at risk should wear masks.

However, last week, it became clear that the virus is also airborne. The WHO deconstructed some portions of the aircraft and advised everyone to wear masks when venturing outside or working with others even indoors.

Medical, veterinary and biological scientists have also had their share of challenges in understanding the disease and the virus while on the go.

There have been numerous claims of effectiveness of management protocols of the disease and characteristics of the virus.

It is this group of contractors that we all look upon to finally give us a lasting solution to the contagion and safely land this immensely challenging aircraft.

The reality though is that globally, we are all on board an aircraft; in flight and under construction. All indications are the eventual landing will be anything but smooth.

PROTECT OUR ANIMALS

I am still getting questions on whether Covid-19 affects animals. Last week, a client came in panicking and said she thought her dog had coronavirus.

She said it was having a cough she had not experienced before and the throat appeared painful. She requested I go see the dog at her home and advise if it should be destroyed.

I watched a video of the dog she had recorded and assured her the problem was kennel cough — a common problem in dogs. I gave the dog the standard treatment and it has since recovered.

Another farmer called from Embu and said his cow had an unusual cough. “Can cows get coronavirus?” he enquired. I advised him that cows and calves can get coronavirus infection called bovine coronavirus abbreviated BCV or BCov. It causes diarrhoea in adult cattle and nasal discharge.

In calves, it causes diarrhoea, nasal discharge and sometimes pneumonia. However, this virus is well known and should not be confused with the current Covid-19, which is a new strain of the coronavirus family.

Currently, there is no scientific evidence that Covid-19 affects cattle and other livestock. However, farmers must take care when handling all types of animals during the pandemic. Animals, including livestock, should not be handled by people suspected to be infected with the disease.

Reports from China, Belgium and the United States indicate that sick people have infected pets and zoo animals with Covid-19.

In China, two dogs and many cats were found to have been infected. A cat was also reported infected by the owner in Belgium but it recovered.

At the Bronx Zoo in New York, a tiger was confirmed infected while other tigers and lions showed clinical signs of the same infection, including coughing and whizzing.

They were all suspected to have been infected by a caretaker. The animals are still being observed to see how they handle the disease.

It is better that we protect our animals than regret later that we infected them with Covid-19. They could become carriers or the virus could mutate and complicate the situation further.