UK RED SQUIRRELS CARRY FORM OF LEPROSY

RE: UK RED SQUIRRELS CARRY FORM OF LEPROSY

Robin Grimmer — Mon, 14 Nov 2016 21:14:32 GMT

Maybe this will give the red squirrel something to fight back with against the invading grey squirrel and their poxvirus! I've never seen a red squirrel, would love to see one.

RE: UK RED SQUIRRELS CARRY FORM OF LEPROSY

Martin Atkinson — Mon, 14 Nov 2016 17:34:14 GMT

[quote user="Hannah Wynne Richards"]

Exactly. I'd hate to see the remaining red squirrels exterminated because some jobsworth has over-reacted.

Wynne

[/quote]Indeed, you're probably more likely to get it from going to some third world country where hygiene is not too high on the list of priorities! In fact, you're far more likely to catch Rabies from a Daubenton's bat under a canal bridge (plenty of documented cases) and no-one is talking about that. And leprosy is treatable.

RE: UK RED SQUIRRELS CARRY FORM OF LEPROSY

Hannah Wynne Richards — Mon, 14 Nov 2016 16:51:14 GMT

Exactly. I'd hate to see the remaining red squirrels exterminated because some jobsworth has over-reacted.

Wynne

RE: UK RED SQUIRRELS CARRY FORM OF LEPROSY

Luca Poddighe — Mon, 14 Nov 2016 16:18:03 GMT

[quote user="Hannah Wynne Richards"]Since as far as I know, there hasn't been a documented case of leprosy speading from squirrels to humans, then I wouldn't get into a panic.[/quote]

Leprosy is not so highly contagious if you take good hygienic measures.

RE: UK RED SQUIRRELS CARRY FORM OF LEPROSY

Kate Richardson — Sat, 12 Nov 2016 08:22:55 GMT

http://science.sciencemag.org/content/354/6313/744

RE: UK RED SQUIRRELS CARRY FORM OF LEPROSY

Hannah Wynne Richards — Sat, 12 Nov 2016 08:18:10 GMT

Since as far as I know, there hasn't been a documented case of leprosy speading from squirrels to humans, then I wouldn't get into a panic.

Wynne

RE: UK RED SQUIRRELS CARRY FORM OF LEPROSY

Marie Kubiak — Fri, 11 Nov 2016 18:57:04 GMT

It's a long-standing issue but it has only been definitively diagnosed fairly recently- it's been endemic on Brownsea Island for decades and their population manages. Hopefully it won't damage the remaining population significantly.

Marie