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A PET CAT has fallen ill with coronavirus in the UK after apparently catching Covid-19 from its owners.
The infection was confirmed following tests at the Animal and Plant Health Agency (Apha) laboratory in Weybridge, Surrey, on 22 July.
Yvonne Doyle, medical director at Public Health England (PHE), said: “This is the first case of a domestic cat testing positive for Covid-19 in the UK but should not be a cause for alarm.
“The investigation into this case suggests that the infection was spread from humans to animal, and not the other way round.
At this time, there is no evidence that pets can transmit the disease to humans.
“In line with the general advice on fighting coronavirus, you should wash your hands regularly, including before and after contact with animals.”
A private vet initially diagnosed the pet with feline herpes virus, a common cat respiratory infection, but the sample was also tested for Covid-19 part of a research programme.
The case has been reported to the World Organisation for Animal Health in line with international agreements.
‘A very rare event’
There have been a small number of confirmed cases in pets in other countries in Europe, North America and Asia.
The UK’s chief veterinary officer, Christine Middlemiss, said: “Tests conducted by the Animal and Plant Health Agency have confirmed that the virus responsible for Covid-19 has been detected in a pet cat in England.
“This is a very rare event, with infected animals detected to date only showing mild clinical signs and recovering within a few days. There is no evidence to suggest that pets directly transmit the virus to humans.
“We will continue to monitor this situation closely and will update our guidance to pet owners should the situation change.”
‘Full recovery’
A team of scientists at the University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research are behind the programme to screen hundreds of samples for Covid-19 infections in the UK cat population.
Researchers at the CVR have now completed a full genome sequencing of the virus found in the infected cat.
Professor Margaret Hosie, who works on the project, said: “There have been sporadic reports of cats from Covid-19 households in Hong Kong, Belgium, France, Germany, Switzerland, Spain and the US that tested positive for (coronavirus) and were presumed to be infected from their owners, but this is the first report of an infected cat in the UK.
“All available evidence suggests that the cat was infected from its owners, who had previously tested positive.
“The cat and its owners have since made a full recovery and there was no transmission of the virus to other animals or people in the household.”
Professor William Weir of the University of Glasgow’s School of Veterinary Medicine, said: “The factors that govern why one species is susceptible to the Covid-19 virus while others are more resistant are currently unknown, but will likely reveal more about how this virus spreads and causes disease.
“At present, there is no evidence that cats, dogs or other domestic animals play any role in the epidemiology of human infections with (Covid-19).”
He said cats and dogs with reported infections usually recover and there has been no evidence of transmission occurring between cats or dogs.
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Jasus this lad is takin emigration to a hole new level
Send all the Irish there
What are the odds, Of an Irish person hitting a pothole on their first day?
Feckin ejits ! The radiation alone will kill a human in months. Dozens of automated missions have to carried out first.
Spend the 6 billion on trying to make earth a better place to live.
We’re wrecking this planet, what gives us the right to start wrecking another .
We wrecked it already, why do you think we’re here and wrecking this place!
Was really enjoying reading this until I saw “55 kilometre voyage”. That’s not really that far now is it.
Also, in the fifth paragraph “it’s not a simple as that” should obviously be “it’s not as simple..”
I really enjoy the Journal, but I just can’t fathom how the journalists / authors of the articles make so many errors.
May I suggest when proof reading, do it out loud so you hear how it sounds.
$6bn for the project, $12bn for the CEO and $24bn for the new board of Mars. $48bn for eighteen staff, their pay, pensions, cars and bottles of water.
Thats $234bn including consultants fees.
This is the issue I have with this project. Ok people have to get paid for providing a service or their time, but I’m sure someone in this grand scheme is looking at the profit margin.
So sending 4 people to mars is ambitious and I’d like it to happen but not at the expense of life over money, this is totally pre meditated. If these organisers are really motivated to make history they will do it for nothing. If mankind is really motivated to go to another planet then why don’t we band resources together? Why do it this way, one way trip, TV show… It’s big brother and the public get to VOTE who goes, I can’t believe it is a movie plot!!
That’s valled socialism. As far as I can see did not work too well for the USSR in the space race. You do need to invest and you fo make it back ten fold in technological advancements. This Mars mission is alot of crap it will not happen.
We will see a mission but funded by a state. The likes of nasa will. But it will not be one way. Uproar sending astronaut to death so it must be return trip. Alot of work involved and nasa won’t have the funding unless China threaten America’s space dominance
Money would be better spent, solving problems here first and then you can Star trek anywhere after that!
If you look around there’s been lots of money thrown at existing problems, some were solved other not really. It is not always solved by money. $6B will not make a dent on existing budgets to ‘solve existing problems’ and might do some good to create a future for mankind in space.
55 kilometres – I would jog that!!
Lifespan of 1year? So we’re sending 20 people on a death mission
Can we nominate people?? There’s a few people it can think of that I’d love to send ;-)
Do you think that’s how Adam n Eve really got here??
Will ya ever go way you’s can’t handle the world they love in let alone a new planet
Any chance they might persuade gilmore and kenny to go.
Maybe we can persuade you to go too?
In theory it sounds great to get away from earth and the dreggs of humanity, to go and live with other good people on another planet, and not be held back by the things that hold back humanity here. I honestly wouldn’t be making a big deal over whatever nationallity these guys are. They are soon to be Martians. I would assume these guys are leaving any sort of twisted nationalism behind them and starting over from scratch. Sounds great, but I rather not live in a box for the rest of my life. At least they will be remembered for millenia to come, which is more than what I can say for the rest of us
Maybe Michael o Leary will fly there
Hed only go as far as one of its moons.
Much as it’s nice to say he was chosen from almost a quarter of a million applicants, fewer than 3000 bothered to pay the application fee when it came down to it…
Only an Irish man?
The rovers they describe laying the groundwork there sound implausible to me. It needs to be able to clear areas of ground, pile earth (or, eh, soil) on top of habitats, cart heavy equipment around, and also assemble equipment (such as connecting hoses and deploying solar panels). So a solar powered robot JCB essentially. It’s a far cry from any of the rovers that have made it to Mars so far! And since all they appear to have is concept art, they would appear to need to design and test this thing in full before the planned launch in 2020.
It’s an interesting idea anyway. Maybe if they did succeed in getting enough people and equipment there they’d be able to develop the industry necessary to return, so the trips would no longer be so one way.
I had a rover 75 once. Couldn’t build for sh*! and the head gasket blew.
Completely agree with you on the infrastructure needed to build a viable colony. It would be much heavier then solar-powered rovers. I frankly believe Mars One will never get the funding to go further than training the crews, but that would be a plus already. We’ll probably need Musk’s Mars Colonial Transports to carry tens of colonists at a time plus their heavy machinery to succeed.
If its a one way it has to be suicide.
But What if you wanted to go out for a
kick a round!
have your say