World Health Organisation: No evidence that animals infect humans with Covid-19
The organisation says it does not believe they are playing a role in transmissions but thinks they may be able to become infected from an infected person.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) held a media briefing recently during which the alleged transmission of the Covid-19 virus from pets to humans was discussed.
Technical lead of the WHO health emergencies programme, Dr Maria van Kerkhove said the organisation was aware of some pets in households becoming infected.
“We are aware of two dogs infected in Hong Kong, a cat in Belgium and we recently heard of reports of a tiger at the Bronx Zoo in New York, United States.”
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She said several groups were conducting investigations to understand how pets were infected. “It seems they are infected by their owners who are infected.”
According to Dr Van Kerkhove, a study done on cats in Wuhan, China before and after the outbreak found that cats could be infected with the virus.
WHO is working closely with its partner agencies, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) and World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) to take a more in-depth look at the role of pets. “We don’t believe they are playing a role in transmissions but we think they may be able to become infected from an infected person. They are not a major driver or playing a major role in transmission in the Covid-19 outbreak,” said Dr Van Kerkhove.
WHO urged the public to refrain from any acts of cruelty towards animals. “They are victims like the rest of us. Until we know more, it’s important to understand they are likely co-infected with us. There is no evidence they infect human beings. It is important that we are respectful and kind to the animals who share our lives,” said Dr Michael J. Ryan – executive director WHO health emergencies programme.
In a recent statement the National Council of SPCAs (NSPCA) stated that certain entities were spreading misinformation regarding animals and the Covid-19 virus.
The animal welfare organisation assured the public that there was no evidence that Covid-19 could be transmitted from animals to humans.
The NSPCA also cited the World Health Organisation (WHO) in its statement that there is no evidence that a dog, cat or any pet can transmit Covid-19. It implored the public to research information from reliable sources such as WHO.
The NSPCA also reminded the public that if they cannot take care of their pet, to rather surrender it to their local SPCA as opposed to abandoning or dumping it.
