11/05/09

The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare has released it's weekly H1N1 report for the Gem State. The centers for disease control have allotted just over 165 thousand doses of the H1N1 vaccine for the state of Idaho.

Children between the ages of six months and nine years will need a "second" dose of the vaccine a month after their first dose. Just over 300 people have been hospitalized with the flu since the first of September, and a total of eleven people have died.

Meanwhile, the first case of H1N1 flu has been discovered in a cat in Iowa. The American Veterinary Association says now it looks like the swine flu virus can be passed from people to their pets.

Veterinarian Dr. Lauri Leach says, “What if a single person with a cat is down with swine flu? Then they call in, and they're going to ask their veterinarian, 'Can my cat get it?' And now we're going to say, Well possibly. And then they're going to say, 'Well what do I do about it?' And I don't know that we have all the answers.”

The ASPCA says you can get your pets vaccinated against the flu, but don't let your pets share food, water, or toys with other animals; and make sure that your pet is eating - drinking - and playing like they normally do.