The Companion Animal Parasite Council (CAPC) gazed into the future and doesn’t like what’s coming. Its computer models for 2016, released April 19, predict growing threats to dogs and cats from multiple vector-borne diseases.
Source: Veterinary Practice News, April 19, 2016.
For the entire year, CAPC predicts:
- Growing risk of Lyme disease in Illinois, Iowa, Indiana and Kentucky as ticks expand their range. The New England states—traditionally ground zero for Lyme—should see below average infection rates.
- Greater danger from the tick-linked disease ehrlichiosis in the usual hotspots of Missouri, Oklahoma and western Texas. Southern California and the southeastern United States east of the Mississippi River are expected to be problem areas, too.
- Heightened hazards from anaplasmosis, another tick-based illness, in Northern California, New York, western Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
- Widespread peril nationwide from mosquito-transmitted heartworm disease. Cat and dog owners in eastern Missouri, southern Illinois and southern Indiana should take extra precautions.
INSIGHTS: The message here is communicate, communicate and educate. Every level of animal health professional needs to be ready to talk about these risks. Share this information with customers, friends and relatives. Word of mouth is a powerful force in prevention.