Chicago has seen an outbreak of a distemper virus that can be deadly to dogs -- 76 cases reported in Chicago since April, while none were reported last year, the Department of Animal Care and Control said Thursday.
The virus is a 200-year-old killer said to be the leading cause of death in U.S.-born-and-bred pets up until the 1950s when specialized immunizations became available.
Officials don't know the cause of the outbreak but plan to meet next month to study it.
Humans and cats cannot contract the virus, which is fatal about 50 percent of the time in dogs, the department said. Pets that don't croak are usually prone to brain damage and other ailments, such as seizures, two-thirds of the time.
"Canine distemper is a serious threat," said Dr. John Lednicky, an assistant professor of pathology at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine in Maywood. "Vaccinations help to keep your dog safe. But nothing is foolproof because the strains change so rapidly."
Canine distemper is an RNA virus that belongs to the same family responsible for measles in humans. Three different strains of the lethal disease swept through Chicago, Lednicky said, adding that outbreaks were present in 1998, 2000 and 2001.
Vaccinations, routinely administered in an annual veterinarian's physical, usually safeguard your pet against most strains.
Dogs that are not properly vaccinated contract the virus from the air, contact with other infected dogs in parks and exposure to wooded areas, the department said. Foxes, coyotes and raccoons, which inhabit wooded areas, are said to be the largest carriers of the disease.
There is no cure for the virus, which was first correctly described in the 18th century by Dr. Edward Jenner, remembered as the father of immunology and conqueror of smallpox, Lednicky said.
The virus was probably carried to Europe by Spaniards returning from an expedition to Peru.
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