Indonesia: Life In The Islands

I Told You Dogs Were Better Than Cats

From an e-mail sent out by the US Embassy:

It is critically important to avoid contact with sick or dead poultry. This is particularly important for children. Most human cases of H5N1 have occurred through direct contact with sick or dead poultry.

Additionally, there have been confirmed reports that wild and stray cats have been shown to carry H5N1. While there have been no documented cases of feline-to-human transmission of H5N1, it is important to avoid contact with wild and stray cats, and to ensure that domesticated cats do not eat or interact with sick or dying poultry, or enter areas where there is an outbreak of H5N1 in birds and poultry. Domesticated cats which reside mainly inside a residence should not be at risk for catching H5N1.

Question: If you contract bird flu from a cat, is that still bird flu or does it change into cat flu?

posted by Caitlin @ 2:49 PM