Once again, someone has taken it upon themselves to argue with me
personally, at length, about SOMETHING I DID NOT SAY.

I do not intend to subject FML to an argument, but because of that
I feel compelled to explain the words I wrote the other day, even
though I thought they were pretty clear.

So let's start off with the fact that I did NOT write that canine
distemper virus could not be tracked into houses on shoes. Here are
my exact words:

"... it is remotely possible to track it into your house on shoes...
Not impossible, but nothing to worry overmuch about."

And here is why I put it that way:

As I stated myself before, the virus can survive for a time outside
the host. And in a SHELTER or RESEARCH or MEDICAL setting, where
infected animals are in the same facility as healthy animals, and even
if they are kept well isolated, it has happened that through indirect
contact... like a researcher or a shelter owner having been in contact
with an infected animal then bringing the object in contact with a
healthy animal... the disease was transmitted. And yes, in some
circumstances it can live longer, like in moist feces, and especially
in cold temperatures. But GENERALLY, as I stated yesterday, the virus
does not live very long outside the host.

Indirect infection can and has happened. I did not try to claim
otherwise. On the contrary, I specifically said it could.

But as human beings, we are often not very good at realistically
assessing risks. We see this around us all the time. We are vastly more
likely here in the U.S. to die from a bathtub accident than a terrorist
attack, yet people panic and allow extreme and intrusive measures
against "terrorism", when in reality if they wanted to be more "secure"
they'd be a hell of a lot better off hiring an assistant for their
bathroom.

For this reason, I will repeat that YES, the "tracking in on shoes"
thing is possible. BUT it is not very likely. That's just the truth.
How you decide to act (or not) on that information is your own
business.

This person told me that on the internet I could find many many
instances of this kind of thing actually happening. But every report
I found was in a completely different kind of situation than the one
under discussion. They ALL involved a shelter that had both infected
and healthy animals. Or a research or medical facility. But NONE of
them were about the kind of situation at hand: someone in an urban or
rural setting who does not already have an infected animal, actually
tracking it into their own home and infecting their pet. Again, as I
clearly stated the first time: I do not deny that it is a remote
possibility. And I want to make this clear, too: I think this person
was well-intended. But for some reason I was not managing to get my
point across.

So as I say I *DID* go looking on the internet. And I found many, many
references. And here is what they said: animals have been infected by
indirect contact... at a shelter that had some infected animals. Or in
a clinical setting where infected animals (no matter how isolated) were
kept in the same facility with healthy animals. And so on.

Other than those, there were only unsupported sentences to the effect
of "... and it can be tracked in on the shoes." Just that flat claim
without any actual citation or evidence. And many of those sites
contained EXACTLY the same sentence... I saw about 20 in which the
entire passage was a straight carbon copy.

But here is the important part: NOWHERE, not anywhere, was there even
one reference to an actual case of this ever happening in a household
setting. Not one documented instance anywhere that I found. People
speak much of the possibility, but nobody can actually point to a
documented case of it actually happening. Not once. Ever. Anywhere.

So I say again: it is possible. I am not trying to tell you "it won't
happen". What I am saying is that realistically it is very, very
unlikely. To put it in perspective: an average of about 500 people in
the U.S. are struck by lightning EACH YEAR. Those are documented. EVERY
rabid bat found in any of the states around here -- and I mean EVERY
one, and there are at least a few every year -- is documented. I watch
the reports myself. EVERY case of heartworm is reported and documented.

Yet I found no documented case of a non-shelter, household pet being
infected by an owner tracking the distemper virus in on his/her shoes.
Not one. And not just in the U.S., or a nearby state, but anywhere.
(Though I only checked sources that were in English.) If anybody finds
even one DOCUMENTED case, I would be interested to know about it,
because I tried (and I am very good at finding things) but I did not.

So should you worry about it? I guess that's entirely up to you.

I make an effort to keep my pets vaccinated. I think it's just plain a
good idea, and it brings peace of mind. As friends of mine know, I get
concerned if the vaccinations are overdue. And I would not try to tell
someone else to do otherwise. But I believe that in order to make
responsible decisions, people should be given enough information to
assess what the real risk is.

Lonny Eachus
[log in to unmask]

[Posted in FML 7831]