Covid and cats, the virologist Galli: what I say to animal owners – breaking latest news

Rome, 2 July 2022 – Cats and Covid. Professor Massimo Galli, virologist and past president Simit, the Italian Society of Infectious Diseases: in Thailand a study documented the first case of virus infection transmitted from animals to humans. “Attention, it is news because it is like saying the man who bites the dog. But while there is much evidence that humans infect cats and dogs, vice versa is to be considered a substantially rare event”. In what percentage? “We can’t say that but it certainly is unlikely to have a significant impact on the pandemic. And we’ve seen what happened in China, pets eliminated on a suspicion, based on the minimum hypothesis of a possible infection.” So what message should we give? “Of great caution. The real risk is to create an unjustified alarm. With the danger of animals being seen as potential infectors.” What do you recommend to those who live with a cat? “To be essentially calm. Also because in most cases we are talking about animals that stay at home, which therefore have the possibility of being infected by their master but not of bringing him the infection. We too have published a work. one of my then interns had been infected with him. ” Yet after two years no one has yet understood with certainty how Covid was born. “Of course, there is no smoking gun, it is not clear yet where it came from. But going to see at least 3 different bats were found in which a very similar virus was isolated”. The laboratory hypothesis is also much discussed. “But this is a virus that had never been isolated before. True, there are still a lot of holes to fill. I find it quite odd that nothing else has come out. It is likely that there are studies, field studies in the areas. geographical areas concerned are probably the monopoly of a group …