HVMA President
Aloha everyone! I hope you are all content and well this Spring! The 2023 Honesty and Ethics Gallup Poll was recently published, and I was pleased to see that veterinarians hold the 2nd highest approval rating amongst professionals. This is in part due to the perception the public has that veterinarians are compassionate and dedicated to helping animals and their owners. The Pet Expo is a perfect example of this, so please volunteer a few hours of your time to support this free public event!
HVMA has been closely watching the Non-Veterinary Surgical Bills (SB 2562 and HB 1527). The current House and Senate versions are slightly different and will go back to committee for final revisions prior to approval. We are lucky to have Senator Tim Richards, DVM in the State Legislature, and he will advocate for the best language to close the current loophole allowing owners to perform surgery on their animals, whilst allowing livestock producers to continue to perform customary husbandry procedures.
Dairy cattle in Texas, Kansas, Michigan, New Mexico, Ohio, Idaho, North Carolina, and South Dakota have been found to be infected with avian influenza virus Type A H5N1. This is the same virus that causes Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in birds; however, the disease in cattle is not characterized by high morbidity and mortality. It is important to note that pasteurization of milk kills pathogens in milk, including the influenza virus, so there is no threat to human health from milk and dairy products. This virus has not been detected in Hawaii, but farms containing multiple species such as poultry, swine, or cattle should continue to strengthen their biosecurity programs to prevent the introduction or spread of disease. The Center for Food Security and Public Health has excellent resources for developing a biosecurity program for various species.
See you at the Pet Expo!
Jenee Odani, DVM, DACVP
HVMA President
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