DOGS UNDER TRAINING TO DIAGNOSE PEOPLE WITH CORONAVIRUS SYMPTOMS

Training dog to diagnose patients with coronavirus infection

The destructive impact and the quick spread of the coronavirus, also known as COVID – 19, has called for more actions to control the pandemic. Dogs that have the ability to smell the scent of cancer, Parkinson’s disease and malaria, are now being trained by the charity Medical Detection, in the United Kingdom, to identify patients with the coronavirus. 

Specialists from Durham University and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine will participate in a study proposed by the Medical Detection Dogs charity. In the past, dogs trained at Medical Detection Dogs learned to sniff out cancer, Parkinson's disease, malaria, and some bacterial infections.

“In principle, we are confident that dogs can detect COVID-19,” said Claire Guest, founder of the charity. - At the moment we are trying to find a way that will allow us to safely smell the virus in patients to show it to dogs. 

The goal is for dogs to test everyone, including those without symptoms, and to identify people who should be tested. ”

The head of the Department of Disease Prevention at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine believes that COVID-19, like other respiratory diseases, leads to a change in the patient’s body odor. 

This gives hope that dogs trained in Medical Detection Dogs will also be able to search for the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. According to him, before they showed extremely high accuracy in detecting malaria.

The study participants expect that they will achieve positive results by the time the epidemic goes into decline. 

In this case, trained dogs will be able to work at airports, identifying possible carriers of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus coming from other countries, and thus prevent the re-spread of the infection.

According to the latest data, due to a new coronavirus infection, 25.2 thousand people died, 558 thousand infections were detected, of which 127.6 thousand patients recovered. 

Coronavirus infection is transmitted through small drops that are released from the patient’s nose or mouth and settle on surrounding objects.

The World Health Organization recommends staying more than a meter away from infected people, washing or disinfecting your hands regularly, and not touching your mouth, nose, and eyes.