health.

The swine flu virus that caused a 2009 pandemic has been found in elephant seals off the central California coast, according to new research. The study, published in the journal PLoS ONE, is the first report of the virus H1N1 in any marine mammal. RELATED: Most Athletic Monkeys Researchers are now being advised to wear protective personal gear when working around marine mammals, to avoid the possibility of infection. "H1N1 was circulating in humans in 2009," lead author Tracey Goldstein said in a press release. "The seals on land in early 2010 tested negative before they went to sea, but when they returned from sea in spring 2010, they tested positive. So the question is where did it ...

Recent wildfires in southern California have affected the lives of both people and their pets. The Los Angeles Times's L.A. Now Wildfires section shows some haunting images of the tragedy along with the valiant efforts of the firefighters working to contain the blazes. Having lived in Los Angeles since 2006, I've witness the impact fire damage has on homes and lives on multiple occasions in the past few years. Although I've never been forced to leave my home, noticeable changes in the air quality (which is overall fairly good on a day to day basis, despite what everyone thinks) could seen, smelled, and felt, even in West Hollywood. In locations directly downwind or adjacent to wildfires, ...

Everything is bigger in Texas, even the invasive species and the health fears surrounding them. Recently, a gardener discovered a giant African land snail (Achatina fulica or achatina) in her yard in Houston. News outlets raised an alarm about health risks from the supersized snails. The menacing mollusks can host the parasitic rat lungworm, Angiostrongylus cantonensis, which can infect humans if the snails are eaten raw or undercooked, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The parasitic infection sometimes leads to a rare ...

The world was hit with another devastating mass animal death. According to The Daily Mail, 100 dolphins washed up dead on the coast of Italy. Scientists believe the animals fell victim to a killer strain of measles. The dolphins have been washing up throughout the year on the west coast of Italy. All the animals affected are striped dolphins that are set apart by their blue and white coloring. As the bodies have been found across the western Italian coast, this rules out a human pollutant as the ...

I'm fascinated with public health, especially the correlations between infectious organisms that can potentially affect both people and pets. Therefore, I've been following a compelling news stream about human fatalities associated with a SARS-like virus. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, better know as SARS, should sound familiar to you due to the 2002 epidemic that emerged from China. It infected 8,000 people and killed over 800 (more then 10% of infected). SARS is caused by a coronavirus, but this time around the disease causing agent is rather unique. Multiple Reuters Health reports indicate this virus is considered to be a "novel coronavirus" (NCoV). Conjuring up images of the ...