Media outlets are reporting an outbreak of dog flu that is spreading around the country. Web MD reports that most dogs that become ill only get a mild illness that there has been no reports of the flu spreading to humans.
The dog flu is almost identical to a horse flu that's been in the U.S. for a long time.
Humans don't get the virus from horses. And they probably won't get it from dogs, says Ruben Donis, DVM, PhD, chief of the molecular genetics section at the Influenza Branch of the CDC.
The dog flu is known medically as the H3N8 influenza virus.
"H3N8 has been in horses for over 40 years. In all these years we have never been able to document a single human infection," Donis says. "That is not to say there isn't any risk. We will monitor all possible human exposures, but at this point there is no reason to panic."
A report on ABC News says that some dogs have died from the disease in several states and old and young dogs can get a severe bout of the dog flu:
A newly discovered virus has killed dogs in at least seven states, and veterinarians, kennel operators and pet owners are concerned because researchers say there is no vaccine and dogs do not have immunity to the new flu.
Dr. Cynda Crawford, an immunologist at the University of Florida's College of Veterinary Medicine, said in an audio interview posted on the university Web site that the disease is only deadly in rare cases -- about 10 percent in puppies and old dogs -- but is of concern because it is spreading rapidly.
