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Mysterious illness caused by pet prairie dogs is possibly monkeypox
The Associated Press ^ | 06/07/03 | The Associated Press

Posted on 06/07/2003 8:58:25 PM PDT by Orange1998

By The Associated Press

(6/07/03 - MADISON, WI) — A virus related to smallpox that has never been detected in the Western Hemisphere may be the cause of a mysterious disease spreading from pet prairie dogs to people across the upper Midwest, health officials said Saturday.

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Arsenal of weapons found in girl's bedroom; four teens arrested Watch for construction closures on Houston roads this weekend Fire erupts at plant on Ship Channel Driver flees scene after fiery accident kills his passenger Argument in strip center parking lot turns into deadly shooting Three-alarm strip center fire destroys nail salon Jury to decide fate of officers after immigrant died in their custody Family narrowly avoids tragedy while returning from water park Handcuffed suspect escapes from back seat of patrol car More recent stories Dr. James Hughes, director of the National Center for Infectious Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said a group of prairie dogs sold from a suburban Chicago pet distributor appears to be infected with the monkeypox virus, a member of the same viral family that causes smallpox but is not nearly as deadly.

Monkeypox has typically been found in West African rain forests, Hughes said. The death rate among infected humans has ranged from 1 percent to 10 percent.

Hughes said although monkeypox is spread primarily through rodents in Africa, scientists haven't ruled out person-to-person transmission.

"We're in the very early stages of classifying this virus," Hughes said. "We're not certain."

(Excerpt) Read more at abclocal.go.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; Front Page News; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: gambianrats; monkeypox; orthopoxvirus; pox; prairiedog; prairiedogs; smallpox; vaccines
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To: Squantos
I haven't seen a prairiedog since I left Ft. Stockton.
How about boxing one up and sending it to me?
I'll poke a stick up his........uh, other end and stand him up at the 300 yard marker.
As his little arms and legs are flying around and his little head is bouncing and his little furry body is struggling to get free, I'll get him in the cross-hairs and color him gone.

(Did you get all of that, PETA?)

81 posted on 06/08/2003 11:07:43 AM PDT by TexasCowboy (COB1)
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To: Orange1998
It is really amazing what currency collectors pay. There is a bank notes website that has the WW2 currency listed at $125 dollars per bill.

Another currency site has our state quarters that are only in circulation since 1999 listed at $3.25 per quarter.

The stuff I'm listing at eBay now is really to test to see who buys from there. I have my listings threaded through another site that is marking the hits for research.
82 posted on 06/08/2003 11:12:40 AM PDT by Calpernia (Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.)
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To: wardaddy
No, Mertzon is just west of San Angelo. It's white tail country.
Mule deer start about Barnhart or McCamey with the biggest concentration from Ft. Stockton to Van Horn.
I've killed more mulies with a .22 rifle with long rifle hollow points than any other gun.

When I worked out there I carried a 12 gauge shotgun and a .22 rifle in the truck.
The blue quail always come up on the gravel roads late in the evening to eat gravel for their craw. I'd shoot one blue quail through the body with the .22. As it flopped around all the others would gather around to see what was wrong with it.
I'd lay the 12 gauge out the window and make a skillet shot across the whole covey.

'Course sometimes a mule deer would happen to walk by, too, on those roads. He or she didn't make it home for suppertime that night.

83 posted on 06/08/2003 11:21:13 AM PDT by TexasCowboy (COB1)
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To: TexasCowboy
I've never hunted out that far west. I remember seeing Mulies at night around Marfa or Alpine...a long time ago driving through.

I've shot quail with a 22 myself from a tractor bush-hogging. They all cluster about over fresh cut cover like they're having some sort of "what do we do now?" meeting.
84 posted on 06/08/2003 11:27:37 AM PDT by wardaddy (I was born my Papa's son....when I hit the ground I was on the run.....)
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To: wardaddy; Squantos; Eaker; All
A couple days ago I was talking to a Game Warden I know(and think a lot of)that had been bitten by a stray kitten that later died.The Warden had the good sense to have it tested and it was + for rabies,so the Warden is now getting the rabies shots.

The same Warden told me there have already been four confirmed rabid critters this spring in Bryon County,Okla.(East end of Lake Texoma on the Red River,not my county).

This is early for so many rabid critters in one county.There're not enough people hunting or trapping the furbearers and it's not healthy for them to be so thick.Few people are hunting them because of the huggers causing prices to be low on pelts,although it looks like prices may rise this year.

Everyone be careful of all the critters but watch out for feral cats,skunks and coons in particular.

85 posted on 06/08/2003 11:33:48 AM PDT by Free Trapper
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To: Free Trapper
Understand....needs saying. Here in the Panhandle we're having some really bad cases also. Coyotes, Skunks and Sod Poodles have it the most.

Stay Safe....

86 posted on 06/08/2003 11:41:00 AM PDT by Squantos (Cum catapultae proscriptae erunt tum soli proscript catapultas habebunt.)
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To: Squantos
Yeah... but do you have the Black Plague?

Uh, what's a Sod Poodle?

87 posted on 06/08/2003 11:42:40 AM PDT by Tijeras_Slim (A bad day FReepin' beats a good day workin'.)
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To: Tijeras_Slim; Eaker; TexasCowboy
http://web.outsideonline.com/magazine/0798/9807disprod.html

Stay Safe .........:O)
88 posted on 06/08/2003 11:50:34 AM PDT by Squantos (Cum catapultae proscriptae erunt tum soli proscript catapultas habebunt.)
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To: patriciaruth
dogs and cats can transmit diseases to humans also.

dogpox and catpox?

89 posted on 06/08/2003 11:53:28 AM PDT by RightWhale (gazing at shadows)
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To: Squantos
Should have guessed... Some of the p-dogs living in the landscaped areas of KAFB are more like Sod Mastiffs they're so fat!

Always did think the burrowing owls were pretty cool. Used to be a bunch living off Southern between Eubank and Juan Tabo, but that's all tract homes now.

90 posted on 06/08/2003 12:03:11 PM PDT by Tijeras_Slim (A bad day FReepin' beats a good day workin'.)
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To: Tijeras_Slim
Best poodle patches were up on 44 near Cuba , Datil in Catron County and the McCormick Ranch south of Albuquerque which we used as a drop zone . I used to pack along my Thompson Contender in 223........ Little suckers didn't have a clue or a chance during an airborne assult..........:o)

Stay Safe !!

91 posted on 06/08/2003 12:14:17 PM PDT by Squantos (Cum catapultae proscriptae erunt tum soli proscript catapultas habebunt.)
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To: flutters
Thanks for the ping
92 posted on 06/08/2003 12:16:38 PM PDT by firewalk
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To: Squantos
Guy I used to work with tuned up for elk season by sighting in his .338 Win Mag down at a dogtown.
93 posted on 06/08/2003 12:17:04 PM PDT by Tijeras_Slim (A bad day FReepin' beats a good day workin'.)
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To: riri; aristeides; Judith Anne
Do I think this is from Binny and his boys?

I'm not sure, yet.

If the Gambian Rat is infected with monkeypox,perhaps Congress could act in an emergency session and oulaw every importation of every foreign animal?

What economies would that destroy?

Whose votes would be lost?

Should America continue to let foreign animals be vectors for our demise?

Knowing that Bin Laden and his co-horts use cheap methods of destruction,I'm sure going to be watching for the skunks,raccoons,deer and other suburban critters to start wearing turbans.

Could be, could be!
94 posted on 06/08/2003 12:17:29 PM PDT by Betty Jo
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To: Squantos
"the infamous red mist Society of varmint hunters."

LMAO!!
I guess I qualify, too.

95 posted on 06/08/2003 12:21:56 PM PDT by TexasCowboy (COB1)
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To: Betty Jo
"perhaps Congress could act in an emergency session and oulaw every importation of every foreign animal?"

Don't be ridiculous!!
A bill is already making it's way through Congress to give Africa 15 billion dollars for the cure and prevention of monkeypox!
After all, we're compassionate Conservatives!

96 posted on 06/08/2003 12:25:25 PM PDT by TexasCowboy (COB1)
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To: TexasCowboy
Well, couldnt both be done?
97 posted on 06/08/2003 12:29:25 PM PDT by Betty Jo
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To: Tijeras_Slim; spectr17; Varmint Al
Wow.......I have been getting older and smarter so I tend to rely on my .300 win mag for my mulies and the Cow elk I cull near Lindrith every year. My Aunt recently passed from this earth and left me a 7MM remington mag 700 that I watched my Grandfather give her for her birthday in the early sixties while I was still a pup. Out of respect for them I will use that this year to get meat for the freezer.

She kept each piece of brass she got her elk or mulie with and made notes, rolled em up , stuffed into the empty brass and kept em in the original ammo boxs as to where , when, weather and key information on the hunt. There were about 56 such little notes rolled up in the empty pieces of brass.

I'm thinking of making copies and publishing them for surviving memebers of our family.....complete with the pictures I have tried to connect to each note. She was a tough old lady....... Damn good huntress !

Stay Safe !

98 posted on 06/08/2003 12:29:33 PM PDT by Squantos (Cum catapultae proscriptae erunt tum soli proscript catapultas habebunt.)
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To: Squantos
I knew there was a problem with rabies in some of the coyotes in S.Texas several years back and had hoped it wouldn't spread North.

I've had one run in with a big,rabid dog and it was "not" much fun.I sure don't want to have to put up with rabid coyotes.

99 posted on 06/08/2003 12:42:27 PM PDT by Free Trapper
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To: Betty Jo
Sorry, I should have put a sarcasm tag on that post.
I hate the idea of pouring money into the gopher hole of Africa so I get in a dig every chance I get.
100 posted on 06/08/2003 12:55:01 PM PDT by TexasCowboy (COB1)
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