More evidence that cats can get SARS-CoV-2

Good afternoon. My name is Dr. Cameron Jones, and I'm an environmental microbiologist. I wanted to make a quick follow-up video to a video I did the other day that was focusing on the issue of SARS-CoV-2and pets, and more particularly, we're going to be focusing on cats because a fascinating paper just came out overnight and that is the topic of today's Livestream. Coronavirus in cats. There has been a lot of talk about whether or not this is a myth or whether there is some scientific validity to this and I wanted to make this video because I think that this topic has a great deal of merit. I think there's a lot of very interesting research which is going on focusing on the pets as a reservoir for SARS and whether or not these animals are capable of transmitting the virus between themselves, whether or not people are able to transmit the virus to the pet, and of course, the very worrying question, is it possible for the pets to transmit the...

Should I worry about SARS-CoV-2 and my pet cat?

This week we're taking a mould holiday and instead focussing on a very serious contemporary health crisis. Today, I want to review what we know about SARS-COv-2 and virus transmission in pets. There have been some disturbing news stories about this virus in 2 dogs and then 2 cats. Investigations in Hong Kong revealed that the virus could be detected in at least one dog. The CDC cautions that there is no immediate risk to people from their pets, but they have amended their interim guidance to public health officials managing people with COVID-19 in-home care to advise on what to do about pets.  I know you all want to know the answer to the question: Can my pet transmit SARS-CoV-2?  Read on to find out...or scroll down to the end of this blog post to find the answer now

Obviously, no one wants people to start fearing their pets, but these early reports certainly suggest that there is some form of transmission...

What's safe to touch to minimize your risk of coming in contact with coronavirus? 

If I touch that surface or object could I get sick from the virus, SARS-CoV-2 that causes the disease, COVID-19? That's the aim of this podcast to review what we know about airborne and surface transmission. SARS-CoV-2 is a virus, so it's technically not alive...but if the viral RNA ends up on a doorknob or on an extractor fan, then you could unknowingly come into contact with it. This is called fomite transmission. Today's episode reviews what we know about the survival of the virus on inanimate objects. We find that it survives less well on copper surfaces and longer on plastic than on cardboard. It can also be cleaned from the hospital rooms of patients diagnosed with the virus. But, if the room is not cleaned, then the virus can remain on many typical touch surfaces. There is even a link with fecal shedding and the toilet.

Cruise ships and virus stability on surfaces  

Next, I...

The implications of carpet on the indoor microflora

On this week's livestream I'm going to cover the topic of microbial contamination in carpet. In Australia, with over 17% of insurance claims being water-related, the probability of your carpet being water-damaged and mould-affected is high.  However, carpet offers slip resistance, makes floors quiet to walk on and is an interior design feature in many homes and work places. A recent paper in the March 2020 edition of the journal: Building and Environment  revealed some interesting highlights.  Did you know that:

• carpets are common reservoirs for the uptake and sustained release of both chemical and biological agents
• carpets can emit chemicals just by being inside your home and can support other chemical transformations
• In comparison with hard floors, carpets tend to cause more dust re-suspension
• There are sustainability issues around carpet maintenance, replacement and how to dispose of old carpets 

Floor...

Understanding the microbial world is more important than ever

Now that the WHO (https://www.facebook.com/WHO/) has informed us all that the virus is now a Pandemic...this week’s show will suspend our regular discussion on mould issues to bring you some important and timely information on the COVID-19 virus. This week, we’ll be covering microbiological literacy, fractal scaling behaviour in death rate and how this is linked to what we know about the trail off of infection rate, the role of humidity and general virus transmission and infectivity, as well as debunking some myths surrounding some claims that the COVID-19 is a laboratory-made virus.

Interview

I also interview Richard Anthony from Eze Training (https://www.facebook.com/ezetraining/) who is launching a new course on infection control especially updated to cover COVID-19. This is aimed at the general public, hospitality staff as well as his core demographic from the tattoo and allied body, piercing and...

Imagine you and your family have planned a trip of a lifetime. You finally get to your destination and discover that your supposedly luxurious hotel room is dirty and has mould. What do you do? Do you immediately write a bad review - potentially defaming the hotel and opening yourself up to being sued, or do you try and resolve the issues through the correct channels? In this week’s show, we look at what Google has to say about this problem. To properly address this, we’ve then consulted with a lawyer to find out what they recommend and how they would deal with this.

You could react EMOTIONALLY…Option #1 = Don’t Stay...followed by…Option #2 = Write a review…

OR you could look up on Google yourself and find advice like this:

Your consumer rights are covered under Australian Consumer Law:

• Acceptable Quality
• Proof of Purchase & Documentation
• Advertising - was it false or misleading?
• Remedy when things go wrong

Source: ...

In part 3 of this video series I'm covering how sauna bathing has been used to treat Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. I review what the Global Sauna Survey has to say about which medical health problems respond best to sauna heat. We also delve into the intriguing benefit of Niacin or Vitamin B3 and how this has been used in the treatment of Gulf War Illness + sauna, but may also be of benefit for those with Multiple Sclerosis. The serious problem of chronic fatigue is well-linked to both cardiovascular dysregulation and environmental triggers like mould - so I draw your attention to several key papers that have used sauna heat + rest (called Waon therapy) to treat these patients. The outcome of brain imaging has shown that the sauna improves cerebral blood flow, leading to positive outcomes for those with chronic fatigue.

REFERENCES:

Cardiovascular reactions for whole-body thermal therapy with a hot pack and Waon therapy. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32046537

Could...

Sauna bathing together with exercise and nutritional supplements have been used to help people who suffer from an environmental illness termed Gulf War Illness. Although this wartime illness is thought to have been triggered by exposure to chemicals and other toxins that soldiers were exposed to (including mycotoxins like aflatoxin) - the point of this paper is to highlight the potential utility of this approach for people who are suffering from mould exposure.  It should also be recognized that there are other treatments apart from sauna that have appeared in the recent literature as this pertains specifically to Gulf War Illness. 

The cited study builds on what we know about the potential benefits of sauna for both firefighters and people who are dealing with symptoms attributed to mould illness and having spent time in water damaged environments.

In the video, I'm also covering how sauna might work? Does it operate my reducing inflammation or by affecting...

“Mould Detox Using Saunas”. In today's live stream we are going to be focusing on one of the most important aspects of mould exposure. This has to do with how you can potentially take control of your health. We’re taking a close look at one of the methods that has been written up reasonably extensively in the peer-reviewed literature that talks about practical methods that have shown strong effectiveness in people who have serious mould symptoms. In part 1 of this live stream I'm going to be reviewing some of the key papers that discuss how saunas have been used for mould detoxification. I'll also be discussing how saunas have been used by firefighters in an effort to combat problems associated with chemical and particulate matter challenge that they are exposed to as part of their work. Therefore, in part 1 I will review both recent and existing literature on which you can make some decisions regarding whether you want to incorporate this health modality into your...

In this post, I'll be discussing the relationship between school buildings and the home environment and the potential connections these environments have with adverse respiratory health?

Watch the video for the KEY PAPERS you should cite in any dialogue you have with your School or University if you suspect that mould or water damage is connected with poor or worsening health symptoms.