Workers in essential industries are increasingly concerned about their health and safety in the workplace. This is most clearly evidenced by the recent strikes, or threats of strikes, by employees
Continue Reading Part 1: What can meat processing facilities do to protect their essential employees from COVID-19 and comply with federal and state guidelines.
Infectious Disease
COVID-19 testing in pets in light of two pet cats testing positive in New York
By Nancy E. Halpern, D.V.M. on
Two pet cats in New York have been infected with SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19), as just announced by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and…
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Animal Models Remain Vital for COVID-19 Research
By Nancy E. Halpern, D.V.M. on
Despite activists’ rhetoric that animal models are not necessary for the advancement of biomedical research and development, the criticality of the continued use of animal models in biomedical research is…
Continue Reading Animal Models Remain Vital for COVID-19 Research
Update: Universities and Colleges: Coronavirus Planning Must Include Protecting Animals on Campus
By Nancy E. Halpern, D.V.M. on
As concerns about coronavirus continue to escalate, universities and colleges have taken advantage of spring break to protect students and staff from circulating virus, and many are planning on remote…
Continue Reading Update: Universities and Colleges: Coronavirus Planning Must Include Protecting Animals on Campus
The Perils of Importation of Dogs from Egypt Acknowledged and Temporarily Ceased by US Government.
By Nancy E. Halpern, D.V.M. on
Rabies is a nearly 100% fatal disease when unvaccinated animals and humans are exposed. As previously discussed the risk of exposure to rabies from dogs imported from other countries, especially…
Continue Reading The Perils of Importation of Dogs from Egypt Acknowledged and Temporarily Ceased by US Government.
Animal Health Threatened Here and Abroad
By Nancy E. Halpern, D.V.M. on
Typically, animal diseases have a seasonal presence. For example, avian influenza, like other influenza viruses prefer cold damp conditions. On the other hand, viruses transmitted by mosquitoes (arboviruses), including Equine…
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Virulent Newcastle Disease-Continued Outbreak in California
By Nancy E. Halpern, D.V.M. on
A virulent form of Newcastle disease (vND), “a contagious and fatal viral disease affecting the respiratory, nervous and digestive systems of birds and poultry,” as described on USDA’s Virulent Newcastle …
Continue Reading Virulent Newcastle Disease-Continued Outbreak in California
Equine Herpesvirus Myeloencephalopathy (EHM)—a devastating, infectious neurological disease affecting horses—continues to threaten equine health.
By Nancy E. Halpern, D.V.M. on
Equine herpes virus-1, a sometimes deadly virus that can cause myeloencephalopathy in some infected horses (Equine Herpesvirus Myeloencephalopathy or EHM), has surfaced at one horse farm in Union County, NJ,…
Continue Reading Equine Herpesvirus Myeloencephalopathy (EHM)—a devastating, infectious neurological disease affecting horses—continues to threaten equine health.
Potential Risks from Pet Therapy Programs
By Nancy E. Halpern, D.V.M. on
Pet therapy programs have been expanding throughout the country, based largely on the increasing recognition that humans benefit from the human-animal bond. The human-animal bond is defined by the American …
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Guest Blog-National Dog Day: Could your rescue dog have rabies?
By Nancy E. Halpern, D.V.M. on
By Sheila Goffe originally p
While the zika virus poses worrisome human health concerns, another potential health problem is brewing that threatens both…
Continue Reading Guest Blog-National Dog Day: Could your rescue dog have rabies?