The crisis over the Ebola virus has become a veterinary concern. On 7 October 2014, Spanish nurse Teresa Romero lost her dog to a court ordered euthanasia after concerns that it had been exposed to Ebola when she contracted the disease caring for an infected patient. Mrs Romero's dog became a target of fear as officials claimed that the available scientific evidence could not rule out risk of zoonotic transmission. The dog was subsequently euthanised despite a public outcry asking for it to be saved. Mrs Romero reportedly has now demanded £120 000 compensation from the officials, stating that the sacrifice of her beloved pet dog Excalibur was unnecessary and carried out ‘against medical advice’.1
Since this event, the veterinary industry has become acutely aware of the Ebola risk and we are now in the limelight as our isolation procedures are scrutinised. While Ebola has been reported to have been originally harboured in dogs,2 the risk of transmission between dogs and humans appears to be low as there are no documented reports of Ebola being isolated in dogs.3 However, in response to Mrs Romero's loss, the American Veterinary Medical Association has just released recommendations on caring for any and all dogs suspected of having come in contact with an infected person. These dogs need to be isolated for 21 days under strict transmission-based isolation precautions with handlers wearing protective equipment recommended by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) for persons caring for Ebola patients. Any animals that test positive for the disease are to be euthanised and their bodies incinerated.4
For most of us in the veterinary industry, we are aware of a handful of zoonotic diseases that affect the patients that we see most often. We all have studied barrier nursing and honed our aseptic skills in clinical practice. We are adept at caring for infectious cases like parvovirus or calicivirus and we know how to employ basic isolation precautions, but are we prepared to deal with a newly emerging disease like Ebola? Are we fully informed of transmission-based isolation precautions? Do we all know the inadequacies of footbaths, or the types of disinfectants which do not adequately kill non-enveloped viruses?5
While the actual risk of Ebola infecting our patients seems to be virtually nil, there is still the risk of a pet acting as a vector for the virus after contact with an infected person. It is a good time to remind veterinary nurses to be prepared for zoonotic diseases and have a set procedure for employing a full range of isolation precautions. Stay current, look to the evidence, in both animal and human studies, and take steps to improve current isolation standards if they are not meeting basic guidelines. Be prepared to collaborate with human health care workers when required and be vigilant to any incoming human health concern in the news. Set guidelines for how you will communicate with authorities and the media and above all, keep records of exactly what is done to establish isolation precautions in the event of an outbreak in your area.
As veterinary nurses, we are on the frontline of the battle to identify and isolate zoonotic diseases. Considering how prevalent zoonotic diseases are, it is essential that every one of us is aware of clinical signs, risk levels and procedures when dealing with a potential zoonosis in the news. This is one area that we all must stay current, not just for our patients, but also for ourselves and our communities. We hope you enjoy this issue.