The Ebola crisis: it's time to heed a vital reminder

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