LGVMA's GOOD NEWS!
originally printed in October 1998 issue
World AIDS Conference In Geneva
Stephanie Wong gave the feature presentation at the 5th Annual Meeting of LGVMA in Baltimore. Stephanie is a senior veterinary student from Tufts University with interests in public health and the Human-Animal Bond. She spent a week at the World AIDS Conference, held June 28 through July 3 in Geneva, Switzerland, where she staffed an information booth co-sponsored by LGVMA and PAWS-SF.
At Baltimore, Stephanie reported on several themes from Geneva (see sidebar) and gave a comprehensive presentation about her experiences answering questions about zoonoses and the human-animal bond.
Stephanie kept a log of representatives who approached the booth and recorded a total of 35 countries, including:
Argentina, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Republic of China, Columbia, Cote d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, France, Ghana, Great Britain, India, Israel, Jamaica, Kenya, Malawi, Mexico, Netherlands,
New Delhi, New Zealand, Puerto
Rico, Republic of Russia, Rome,
Scotland, Singapore, Slovenia,
South Africa, Spain, Switzerland,
Uganda, United States (California,
Florida, New York), and Zambia.
The following are some comments from around the world. Wong found that the comments she received from visitors to the booth often offered insight into the stage of the AIDS epidemic in each of their respective countries.
AUSTRIA
A psychologist hears many of his clients with HIV/AIDS talk about their pets. Most concerns are about what will happen to the pet if the owner is hospitalized or if the owner dies. He had not heard patients express concerns about zoonoses or needing to give up their pets because of the risk of zoonoses transmission.
GERMANY
Attendees strongly believed in human-animal bond. Many people in Germany are told to give up their pets. They felt PAWS and similar organizations around the world provide valuable services.
INDIA
Many people have pets. Two-bedroom houses will have three people and two goats. People are told not to have any pets if they are HIV-positive. They were interested in zoonosis information on cows, goats, sheep and poultry. Many people have questions about cat ownership. Most people are afraid that animals are too dangerous for people with HIV/AIDS.
ISRAEL
An HIV-positive man was told to stay far away from cats.
SOUTH AFRICA
This is new information. Many people are told to give up their pets. They were glad to hear that this information is available and that research has been done.
UGANDA
Attendee requested more information on zoonoses regarding the risk to immunosuppressed farmers from farm animals.
UNITED STATES
An HIV-positive man who did not know that pets had diseases that could be transmitted to him had questions about Toxoplasmosis prevention and value of testing in cats. A nurse discussed the role of nurses in zoonoses education.
In conclusion, Stephanie stated that although animal companions are a minimal risk for zoonoses, there is still a disturbing amount of fear and misinformation around the world.
If you would like more information on the "Healthy Pet, Healthy People" project, you can learn more here on the LGVMA website. For more information on the World AIDS Conference in Geneva, you can visit www.aids98.ch.