AR-News: (Singapore) Expect more animal to man viruses

[Animalara2003 at aol.com]

By DAVID CAVANAGH
SCIENTISTS long anticipated that an influenza virus will spread - as now 
appears to be happening in Asia - from wild birds to humans, causing a pandemic. 
But few predicted last year's Sars epidemic, a pneumonia caused by a 
coronavirus.
Prior to 2003, coronaviruses ranked very low on the scale of important human 
diseases, mostly being associated with the common cold. But we have long known 
that they can cause dreadful diseases in domestic animals. We simply haven't 
learned our lesson. 
Indeed, events of the last couple of decades - the acquired immune deficiency 
syndrome (Aids) virus transferring from monkeys to man, followed by their 
global spread, being just one example - should have convinced us that, where 
diseases are concerned, the unexpected will happen. After all, the 'jumping' of 
viruses from wild animals to humans is more common than we'd like to think. 
All types of virus strains or variants exist - somewhat akin to dogs existing 
as different breeds. Veterinarians and farmers have long known of a 
coronavirus that can kill 90 per cent or more of young pigs. Less well known is the 
fact that cats and dogs are infected by a coronavirus that can also cause disease 
in pigs. 



full story:
http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/commentary/story/0,4386,233580,00.html

 


"The world is a dangerous place,
not because of those who do evil,
but because of those who look on and do nothing.",
Albert Einstein

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