Brussels, 05/12/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Friday 5 December, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), which had been tasked by the European Commission with assessing the risks of the spread of Ebola to humans from pets in Europe, published an extremely cautious preliminary opinion, acknowledging that at this stage, it does not have enough information.
The experts of EFSA, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the member states which worked on the assessment were, however, able to state that the likelihood of a pet dog or cat being exposed to the Ebola virus through contact with infected individuals in Europe is very low, as sufferers tend to be isolated very quickly.
The experts, who are aware that there are many gaps in existing knowledge and a lack of available data - for instance, there is no evidence that dogs can develop the disease and spread the virus, or that cats can be infected - recommend that the sanitary and veterinary authorities carry out a case-by-case assessment of the risk of pets being infected and passing on the disease. The type of contact and stage of infection are the two factors the authorities should take into account in their assessments.
The prevention measures recommended by the experts for various scenarios include the self-monitoring of people and the isolation of pets.
Further scientific work on the Ebola virus will be carried out in the months to come. EFSA and the ECDC will work together to assess the factors which determine the risk of the spread of the Ebola virus from animals to humans (knock-on effect) in West Africa.
EFSA has also been asked to provide scientific advice on the risk of the spread of the Ebola virus in the food chain. In this context, it will evaluate the risks associated with the consumption of raw foodstuffs imported from African countries affected by the virus.
In November, EFSA returned an opinion on the risks related to the introduction and spread of the Ebola virus in the EU via illegally imported bush meat (EUROPE 11191). (AN)