NRC Wants More Exotic-Animal Laws
A new report from the National Research Council (Washington)
calls for standardized regulations on the importation and sale
of exotic, non-domesticated and wild-caught animals.
Published by the National Academies in July, “Animal
Health at the Crossroads: Preventing, Detecting and Diagnosing
Animal Diseases” addresses several animal diseases that
affect global commerce and public health. Among them is monkeypox,
a rare viral disease that is found in monkeys, rats, mice
and rabbits and that causes a rash and fever in humans. In
2003, 70 human cases were reported in six states. The infection
was traced to pet prairie dogs that had come into contact
with rats imported from Ghana.
The 2003 monkeypox outbreak revealed a lack of coordinated
federal oversight of the animal-centered aspects of diseases
transmitted by exotic animals, according to the report. It
described the tracking of such animals in the United States
as inconsistent and ineffective, with a “disturbing
lack of standardized testing of the health status of exotic
animals at the point of origin and in companion animal shops,
trade fairs and other venues.”
To prevent and combat monkeypox and other animal diseases,
the report also recommends increased collaboration and information-sharing
among public and private agencies; more veterinarians in public
health, epidemiology and related fields; and increased public
awareness of animal-disease risk and the need to strengthen
the framework against it. [September 2005 PET AGE]
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ANIMAL DISEASES OF CONCERN
Eleven out of the 12 major global disease outbreaks over
the last decade were caused by zoonotic agents—those
that spread from animals to humans.
Among the emerging diseases with serious implications for
global trade and/or public health are:
- Exotic Newcastle disease. The most infectious and fatal
disease of poultry worldwide. In 2002-2003, an outbreak in
the American Southwest led to the destruction of 3.21 million
animals at a cost of $160 million.
- Foot and mouth disease. A contagious disease of cattle,
swine and other cloven-hoofed species such as deer, sheep
and goats. In 2001, a 214-day epidemic in the United Kingdom
led to the destruction of 6.5 million animals. There have
been no cases in the United States since 1929.
- Monkeypox. A rare viral disease affecting monkeys, rats,
mice and rabbits, and that causes a rash and fever in humans.
In 2003, 70 human cases were found in six states. The infection
was traced to pet prairie dogs that had come into contact
with rats imported from Ghana.
- Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). A novel, contagious
coronavirus similar to a virus found in civets, a type of
cat. In 2003, an estimated 8,098 people worldwide became sick
with SARS; 774 died.
- Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE or mad cow disease).
A noncontagious disease affecting the nervous system of cattle,
transmitted through ingestion of feed contaminated by an aberrant
protein called a prion. One case was found in Washington in
2003. A second case was found in Texas in 2005. BSE is linked
to variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, known to have caused
147 human deaths in the United Kingdom as of December 2004.
- Avian influenza. A virus that has resulted in the death
and depopulation of more than 100 million commercial and wild
birds. As of January 2005, H5N1 had killed 34 of 47 infected
humans.
- Chronic wasting disease. A prion disease affecting farmed
and wild deer and elk. CWD is a major problem in some Western
and Midwestern states. There is no conclusive evidence to
date that a CWD prion has caused disease in domestic animals
or people.
- West Nile virus. A poorly understood disease affecting
birds, horses and humans. WNV infected 15,300 horses in 2002
and 5,200 horses in 2003 in North America. Affected humans
may show no symptoms, but often show flu-like signs. In rare
instances, they may develop encephalitis and die.
Source: “Animal Health at the Crossroads,”
National Academies’ National Research Council
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