Cat found infected with coronavirus in Belgium

Agence France-Presse

This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

Cat found infected with coronavirus in Belgium
Cases of contamination of pets are rare and authorities ruled out a risk of contamination to humans from home animals

BRUSSELS, Belgium – A pet cat has been infected with the novel coronavirus in Belgium after being contaminated by its owner, Belgian health authorities said Friday, March 27.

Cases of contamination of pets are rare and authorities ruled out any risk of contamination to humans from home animals.

The reports follows similar cases in Hong Kong where two dogs tested positive for COVID-19 during a screening campaign carried out on 17 dogs and eight cats living in contact with people carrying the virus.

In Belgium, the discovery was made by researchers at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Liege. (READ: Wash your hands after stroking your pet, say French experts)

This is “an isolated case” which can occur after “close contact between animals and infected humans”, said Doctor Emmanuel Andre, a government agency spokesman on the pandemic.

The virus can be transmitted from humans to animals but “there is no reason to think that animals can be vectors of the epidemic in our society”, he said.

In Hong Kong, “the dogs showed no symptoms”, while in Belgium “the cat was suffering from transitory respiratory and digestive problems”, said the Belgian food safety agency AFSCA in a statement.

“So far, there is no evidence that a domestic animal can transmit the virus to humans or other pets”, the public authority said.

As a precautionary measure, it is “strongly recommended” to apply standard rules of hygiene when dealing with pets: “avoid close contact with pets… wash your hands after handling any animal, do not let the animal lick your face.”

The aim is to prevent the transmission of the virus to the animal and to prevent the animal itself from becoming a carrier of the virus. – Rappler.com

Add a comment

Sort by

There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.

Summarize this article with AI

How does this make you feel?

Loading
Download the Rappler App!