{"id":4058,"date":"2018-10-02T15:27:06","date_gmt":"2018-10-02T22:27:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/todaysveterinarybusiness.com\/?p=4058"},"modified":"2022-03-09T15:17:52","modified_gmt":"2022-03-09T15:17:52","slug":"on-high-alert","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/navc.sitepreview.app\/todaysveterinarybusiness.com\/on-high-alert\/","title":{"rendered":"On high alert"},"content":{"rendered":"

An invasion is happening in the United States. Creepy crawlies carrying all sorts of vector-borne diseases are on the march or airborne. And neither pets nor people are safe.<\/p>\n

Illnesses from mosquito, tick and flea bites have tripled in the United States, with more than 640,000 cases reported from 2004 through 2016, according to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.\u00a0Nine new germs spread by mosquitoes and ticks were discovered or introduced into the United States during this time.<\/p>\n

\u201cZika, West Nile, Lyme and chikungunya \u2014 a growing list of diseases caused by the bite of an infected mosquito, tick or flea \u2014 have confronted the U.S. in recent years, making a lot of people sick. And we don\u2019t know what will threaten Americans next,\u201d said CDC director Robert R. Redfield, M.D. \u201cOur nation\u2019s first lines of defense are state and local health departments and vector-control organizations, and we must continue to enhance our investment in their ability to fight against these diseases.\u201d<\/p>\n

Widespread and difficult-to-control diseases from mosquito, tick and flea bites are major causes of sickness and death worldwide. The growing number and spread of vector diseases pose an increasing risk in the United States. The report found that the nation needs to be better prepared to face the public health threat.<\/p>\n

With dogs and cats trekking inside and outside households, pet owners need to be especially aware and prepared. However, judging from compliance rates of preventive products and from consumer studies, a lot of work remains to be done.<\/p>\n

Knowledge Gap<\/h3>\n

A study conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of Merck Animal Health exposed some serious knowledge gaps among U.S. pet owners related to the identification, prevention and treatment of fleas and ticks.<\/p>\n

More than 1,300 dog or cat owners were surveyed. The results found that despite the dangers of flea infestations, ticks and Lyme disease, many pet owners may not be as knowledgeable \u2014 or as prepared \u2014 as they think they are. In fact, one-third said they do not give their pets regular flea\/tick medication and nearly half didn\u2019t bring their pets in for routine exams to protect against these parasites. More than 3-in-5 pet parents said they were \u201cvery knowledgeable\u201d about fleas and ticks; however, nearly 2 in 5 couldn\u2019t correctly identify at least one symptom commonly associated with Lyme disease.<\/p>\n

Indeed, general awareness thus far hasn\u2019t matched the speed at which vector-borne diseases are spreading.<\/p>\n

Most people probably have heard of a few diseases transmitted by fleas, ticks or mosquitoes, such as Lyme disease and West Nile virus, said Cameon Ohmes, DVM, MS, MBA, DACVIM, a senior veterinarian at Bayer Animal Health.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut most are also unaware of all the other vector-transmitted diseases and how they are spread by parasites, causing sickness or sometimes even death in both humans and animals,\u201d Dr. Ohmes said. \u201cNew diseases are being discovered on an annual basis and we as a society need to talk more about this. We need to make sure people understand that A) there is risk associated with finding a tick or having an itchy mosquito bite, and B) there are measures to be taken to help prevent fleas, ticks and mosquitoes from biting us and our pets.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ticks are the headliners when it comes to transmitters of vector-borne disease, and they seem to be the parasitic threat most on the move. Yet, they weren\u2019t really more than a dot on the radar 20 years ago, according to Joyce A. Login, DVM, senior manager of veterinary specialty operations at\u00a0Zoetis Inc.<\/p>\n

\u201cTwenty years ago, we had a hard time controlling fleas,\u201d Dr. Login said. \u201cWe never thought anything about ticks. We were just worried about fleas and we didn\u2019t have a good product.\u201d<\/p>\n

This was around the time that more effective flea products were being introduced.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen those products came out, things changed,\u201d Dr. Login said. \u201cWe got the fleas under relative control \u2014 although they are still winning when pets aren\u2019t protected \u2014 but we also were able to control ticks on the back end. These products work on ticks but not everybody understood that at the time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now, the situation has flipped. There is an awareness of fleas in the home, but people are understanding the value of keeping ticks off their dog.<\/p>\n

Dr. Login attributes the change to three things. First, Lyme disease has become much more of an issue.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was in practice first out of school, Lyme disease was the tiny little quirky disease only in Connecticut,\u201d she said. \u201cWithin 10 years, it\u2019s become huge, the No. 1 infectious disease reported in people. That\u2019s raised awareness that ticks can be a problem.\u201d<\/p>\n

The second thing is that organizations such as the Companion Animal Parasite Council are educating clients about ticks and vector-borne diseases and the importance of protecting the pet.<\/p>\n

The third point? Proximity. People are much closer to their pets.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe human-animal bond is tighter than ever,\u201d Dr. Login said. \u201cThe level of acceptance of what you have on your dog has changed. Fleas might have been OK in the past if you could knock it down. Now, one flea on your dog is not OK. There is a greater awareness because dogs are in the house. They are family members.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another reason the knowledge gap may exist is the rapid entry of parasitic diseases into regions unaccustomed to their presence. Dr. Login said the seasons and regional assumptions can get in the way of a consistent, industry-wide message on parasitic diseases and prevention.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a lot of seasonality, which in general is very confusing to clients,\u201d she said. \u201cYou need to keep them on the year-round product without fail. It\u2019s something that we as veterinarians need to strongly believe in as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

The conversation will vary slightly depending on the area of the country, Dr. Ohmes said.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor instance, an emphasis on ticks and tick-borne diseases in the Northeast compared to heartworm disease<\/a> in the Deep South,\u201d she said. \u201cHowever, the mission of CAPC is to have every pet tested and protected, and the variable climate changes indicate we shouldn\u2019t leave anything out. The biggest task is working with the pet owner to determine which product fits their lifestyle the best.\u201d<\/p>\n

A New Engagement Strategy<\/h3>\n

One animal health organization that believes strongly in year-round prevention is the Companion Animal Parasite Council. In 2011, CAPC board members agreed\u00a0they needed to come up with a strategy that engaged veterinarians, pets\u00a0owners and\u00a0even doctors\u00a0on the prevalence and\u00a0spread of vector-borne diseases, and parasitic\u00a0diseases in general.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we started in 2011 was a new engagement strategy,\u201d said CAPC\u2019s CEO, Christopher Carpenter, DVM, MBA.<\/p>\n

The engagement strategy included two key components: prevalence maps and forecasts.<\/p>\n

When Dr. Carpenter worked in a veterinary clinic in the 1990s, he relied on older Heartworm Society maps. The threat level in specific areas was hard to discern. Technology has changed, and so too have the capabilities to track parasitic diseases. The CAPC Prevalence Maps are designed to meet today\u2019s data expectations.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll of us have the expectation of pulling up the weather on our smartphones,\u201d Dr. Carpenter said. \u201cIf I want to look up the weather in Nashville right now and see it, I can. Our goal at CAPC was to give local parasite data now to clients so that they can see what\u2019s going on in their area. That was the foundation for all our work.\u201d<\/p>\n

Using the contributions of Idexx Laboratories and Antech Diagnostics as the foundation for the maps, CAPC is able to provide county-by-county rates and levels of parasitic diseases. It\u2019s forced veterinarians and clients (if they are shown the data) to take notice. Veterinarians in one county can pull up the data and show that there were 28 cases of heartworm last month.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople can\u2019t be dismissive and say it\u2019s not in their area,\u201d Dr. Carpenter said. \u201cIt\u2019s here.\u201d<\/p>\n

The other component of the engagement strategy involves forecasts. CAPC went outside the industry to help create the forecasts<\/a>. They reached out to Clemson University Professor Robert Lund, MS, Ph.D., an expert at forecasting hurricanes and climatology. Dr. Lund agreed to partner with CAPC to start a forecast for parasites in companion animal pets.<\/p>\n

How have the forecasts measured up? CAPC has never gone below 94 percent accuracy.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour weatherman would be proud to say if he or she was as accurate on a day-to-day basis with their forecast,\u201d Dr. Carpenter said.<\/p>\n

If You Tell Them, Will They Come?<\/h3>\n

Compiling the data is one thing. But what will pet owners do with the knowledge once they have it? To answer that question, CAPC worked with Bayer Animal Health on market research, Dr. Carpenter said. They asked pet owners:<\/p>\n