Close X
Wednesday, December 11, 2024
ADVT 
International

Covid spreads in deer and other animals in US

Darpan News Desk IANS, 17 Nov, 2021 09:02 AM
  • Covid spreads in deer and other animals in US

New Delhi, Nov 17 (IANS) Scientists have found SARS-CoV-2 spreads like any other virus among white-tailed deer and other wild animals in the United States, CNN reported.

People are the likely source, but that doesn't mean the virus can't evolve among these animals and then spill back into humans, and researchers are worried about what this spread means for the risk of future pandemics, the report said.

There's little doubt SARS-Cov-2, the virus that caused the ongoing pandemic, came from an animal -- almost certainly a bat. And the prevailing scientific opinion is that there is an intermediate host, an animal of some sort, that was infected by a bat or bats and then infected people, the report added.

It's also clear that people can infect animals. Pets such as cats, zoo animals such as gorillas and snow leopards and farmed mink can all be infected. Multiple cases have been reported, and evidence of changes in the viruses infecting mink have led to mass culls of those animals on fur farms, the report added.

The latest species to capture the attention of wildlife biologists are white-tailed deer. It's little surprise that farmed deer would catch the virus from people. Any visitor to a deer farm knows the animals behave like goats, shoving their wet noses into the pockets, hands and faces of human visitors or caregivers as they clamor for food and treats -- and setting themselves up for infection.

"If somebody might bite an apple and throw it or even if I sneeze in a tissue and drop it," speculated Dr Suresh Kuchipudi of the Animal Diagnostic Laboratory at Pennsylvania State University, who helped lead one study published earlier this month that found a third of deer they tested across Iowa between September of 2020 and January of 2021 showed evidence of infection.

Sewage has been found to carry the virus, so polluted water might be a source, he added, or people spitting or contaminating the environment in other ways. The deer may then spread the virus to one another, the report added.

MORE International ARTICLES

Coronavirus: Sikh Family In US Makes Face Masks At Home To Help Health Workers

Amid the fast-spreading coronavirus pandemic in the US, a Sikh family based in the state of Indiana have made masks in an effort to help the public and first responders in the fight against the deadly disease, a media report said.

Coronavirus: Sikh Family In US Makes Face Masks At Home To Help Health Workers

Indian Expat Falls Asleep At Dubai Airport, Now Stranded

A United Arab Emirates (UAE)-based Indian expat was now stranded at the Dubai airport after he fell asleep while waiting for his flight back home, a media report said.

Indian Expat Falls Asleep At Dubai Airport, Now Stranded

Biden Campaign Names Indian-American Vivek Murthy To Covid-19 Advisory Panel

"The campaign's top priority is and will continue to be the health and safety of the public," it added.

Biden Campaign Names Indian-American Vivek Murthy To Covid-19 Advisory Panel

Trump's Impatience With Coronavirus Measures Continues To Escalate

Trump's Impatience With Coronavirus Measures Continues To Escalate
WASHINGTON - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada is braced for the possibility that the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States could get significantly worse, but he says the current travel restrictions at the border will suffice — for now.    

Trump's Impatience With Coronavirus Measures Continues To Escalate

Consider Exemptions To Travel Restrictions, Border-state Senators Urge Trump

Consider Exemptions To Travel Restrictions, Border-state Senators Urge Trump
New York senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, both Democrats, released a letter Monday urging the White House to bear in mind the importance of bilateral travel to businesses, families and communities located near the Canada-U.S. border.

Consider Exemptions To Travel Restrictions, Border-state Senators Urge Trump

US Approves Anti-Malaria Drug For COVID-19, Says It Could Be Gamechanger

Trump said the drug could prove to be a "gamechanger" and if it is not, the downside risks are likely to be low.

US Approves Anti-Malaria Drug For COVID-19, Says It Could Be Gamechanger