Officials Track Down Most Prairie Dogs In Monkeypox Investigation

NBC5.com ^ | June 13, 2003 | AP

[FairOpinion]

CHICAGO -- State officials have tracked down all but two prairie dogs sold to Illinois buyers by a suburban Chicago business where the weeklong outbreak of monkeypox originated, an Agriculture Department spokesman said Friday.

Spokesman Jeff Squibb said officials have located two of four Gambian giant rats -- the animal believed to have infected the prairie dogs with monkeypox -- sold within Illinois by the same business. He said they continue to search for the other two, which were given away by the buyer.

In all, Squibb said officials have tracked down 19 of 21 prairie dogs sold within Illinois by Phil's Pocket Pets in Villa Park since April and contacted the owners.

Squibb said officials believe they know where one of the remaining two is and are trying to contact the owner.

The whereabouts of the last prairie dog remained unknown late Friday, Squibb said.

"There is a paper trail we are following," he said. "Sales receipts are providing us leads."

Illinois is one of three states with both confirmed and possible cases of monkeypox, which until this outbreak had never been seen in the Western Hemisphere. As of Friday afternoon, there were four confirmed cases of monkeypox in the state and 15 possible cases, according to Jena Welliever, spokeswoman for the Illinois Department of Public Health.

In the other two states hit hardest by the outbreak -- Wisconsin and Indiana -- similar efforts are being made to track down the prairie dogs sold by Phil's, officials said.

In Wisconsin, all but five of the 41 prairie dogs known to have come to the state from Phil's have been located, said Donna Gilson, a spokeswoman for the state's Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.

Gilson said officials know one of the Gambian giant rats from Phil's was purchased by a Wisconsin buyer. That rat has died, she said.

Indiana State Department of Health spokesman Matthew McCardle said he did not have the numbers of prairie dogs that officials are looking for or have located.

In Illinois, none of the animals located in the homes of those who bought them from Phil's have exhibited any symptoms of the disease, Squibb said. Since the outbreak, seven prairie dogs were turned over by their owners to state officials after they exhibited symptoms of monkeypox. But Squibb said tests of those animals to determine if they were infected with the disease have not been completed.

There is no indication that anyone released to the wild or lost any of the prairie dogs or rats purchased at Phil's, Squibb said.

That is particularly important because agriculture officials worry that the disease could jump from prairie dogs and the rats to indigenous wild North American animals, and thus establish a foothold for the disease in the Western Hemisphere.

[FairOpinion]

Well, this is certainly good news. I hope they will find the few others still unaccounted for. If they really get them all, that may control and stop the spread.

[FairOpinion]

ping

[aristeides]

Ping.

[fso301]

Hope this helps people realize the serious risks of close contact with animals for which humans have little history of close contact.

[blam]

"That rat has died, she said. "

Cause of death, monkeypox?

[Betty Jo]

Why dont I think that all the infected and possibly infected P dogs and G rats will be found?

Cause I'm paranoid!

[FairOpinion]

Actually I am amazed they found this many and in a relatively short time.

Of course if just one gets out in the wild, it can start an epidemic which may not be containable.

But if they have a few more to go, hopefully they will find those.

I will also be very interested to trace back where the Gambian rat came from exactly, as in who sold it to whom, and do the African sellers have any connection to extreme Muslims.

Monkeypox is supposed to be very rare even in Africa, where they had an outbreak 5 years ago, but not since. Now in 2003 no outbreak in Africa, but we have one here in the US...

[Betty Jo]

Hey when the feds trace back the import paper work to an AlQuaeda rat seller, Tommy Ridge will say the rat took a drink from an infected stream.

I just cant bring myself to google Gambian rat sellers in Africa tonight.

Why dont I think that all the infected little varmints will be found?

WHO knows?

[templar]

In all, Squibb said officials have tracked down 19 of 21 prairie dogs sold within Illinois by Phil's Pocket Pets in Villa Park since April and contacted the owners.

Sell the Dern things? Heck, stop out here in Colorado sometime and I'll be glad to show you where you can get as many as you want for free. Just bring a big vacuum cleaner and suck 'em up!. It'll save us the trouble of shootin 'em.

[FairOpinion]

"WHO knows? "

---

Actually WHO doesn't know. ;)

(I am referring to the World Health Organization)

[riri]

For some reason, I am not worried about this monkeypox. I think it will get under control.

SARS is another story.

Signing off for two weeks. Take care all.

[Betty Jo]

I was kidding.

[FairOpinion]

"I was kidding. "

I know, so was I. :)

[Free Trapper]

I believe I read that at least two dead prairie dogs had been placed in trash cans and their carcasses retrieved later.

I wonder if any rats,mice,coons,possums,etc. that "paid their respects to the dead" could have become infected?

Also,I would think we could already,easily have wild critters infected from the disposal of trashed food,bedding and waste from diseased pets.

I could think of many ways the disease could have already entered our wild animal populations.

[FairOpinion]

"I could think of many ways the disease could have already entered our wild animal populations."
---

You may be right. In that case we do have a major problem on our hands. While so far nobody died, thank God, but sereral people have been hospitalized for weeks, this is not a trivial disease.

[Betty Jo]

Yeppers.

[FairOpinion]

Actually, just as I was being happy reading about this, I ran across another article about placing rabbits and squirrels on the list of banned animals, and casually mentions that in one state a person caught monkeypox from a rabbit, i.e. there are some infected rabbits out there. That was the first time I heard of this, but that is NOT good news. Can you imagine if the monkeypox gets into the rabbit and squirrel population?! Heck I got squirrels in my backyard all the time.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/928889/posts

[Betty Jo]

And the mice that get into your garage, and you set out mousetraps and you have to get the mouser out of the trap, and put the cheese in,and the garbage cans that you take out to the street, and the picnic table that is outside all the time.......

So, we must beware every bug and critter there is.

What mommy will feel at ease with her babers playing outside?

A summer of being terrorized?

But thats part of the plan.

[FairOpinion]

"A summer of being terrorized?

But thats part of the plan."

Well, I wouldn't go that far.
My opinion is that the West Nile Virus is a definite terrorist attack, SARS could be natural, or could be an escaped virus from Chinese bioagent laboratory, the monkeypox is very suspicious, it could be naturaly, but I would give 70% odds that it is the work of terrorists. After all we know the Russians have been working on it as a bioweapon and they had way too much contact with Saddam. How hard would it be for them to get a few Gambian rats and sell it to some unsuspecting US distributor.

But once these bugs are here, they can indeed spread via garbage, etc.