Chicago-area dog flu cases climb to over 1,100, including six deaths

[WorldNews]

By Mary Wisniewski CHICAGO (Reuters) - At least 1,137 Chicago-area dogs have come down with a highly contagious strain of canine flu, and six have died, in the largest and longest-lasting dog flu outbreak ever seen in the region, county officials said on Tuesday. Veterinarians began reporting cases of Canine Infectious Respiratory Disease, or CIRD, in January, said Cook County spokesman Frank Shuftan. Symptoms of CIRD include persistent and lingering cough, lethargic behavior, poor appetite and a fever, said Dr. Donna Alexander, administrator of the Cook County Department of Animal & Rabies Control. Humans cannot get dog flu, but they can spread it, so Alexander recommended thorough hand-washing after touching or petting a dog.

 

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