Massachusetts Department of Public Health Issues Emergency Order Banning the Sale of All Pets for Four Months

In response to anoutbreak of multi-drug resistant Campylobacter infections associated with the purchase of puppies from pet stores, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health has issued a temporary, four-month ban on the sale of all animals by pet stores throughout the Commonwealth.The CDC concluded that the outbreak is being caused by puppies sold by pet stores based on the finding that 88% of the case patients reported contact with a puppy and 71% of these reported contact with a puppy from a pet store.The CDC conclusion is as follows: " Epidemiologic and laboratory evidence indicate that contact with puppies, especially those at pet stores, is the likely source of this outbreak. "Nevertheless, the CDC has warned that: " No single strain of puppy has been identified that explains all cases of this outbreak. Therefore, the CDC recommends that anyone concerned about the illness avoid exposure to all animals. " The CDC has termed the outbreak PAAGI - which stands for Puppy, or Animal-Associated Gastrointestinal Illness.Although the CDC has concluded that puppies purchased at pet stores are the likely cause of the illness, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health has issued an emergency order that immediately banned the sale or transfer ofall animals. This includes the sale of all animals from Massachusetts pet stores as well as online sales of animals. In addition to not being able to sell animals, all pet stores had to clear their shelves of all inventory.Already...
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