Volume: 213, Published: 7 March 2023

Malaysia: Four rabies fatalities reported in Sarawak in 2023
Date: 6 March 2023; Disease: Rabies; Location: Sarawak, Malaysia
A total of six rabies outbreak cases were reported in Sarawak with four deaths recorded from January to March this year (2023), The Deputy Premier of Sarawak, Datuk Seri shared. The fatalities were reported in four different districts, namely Sibu, Kanowit, Siburan and Bintulu. Two patients were successfully saved after medical intervention; however, they suffer from severe disability from the viral infection. These announcements were made to the media while in the Asia for Animal Conference (AFA) Sarawak 2023 press conference at the Borneo Convention Center Kuching (BCCK). The official added that a total of 12 rabies cases with 10 deaths were recorded in Sarawak last year. Read more at Outbreak News Today.

Bangladesh: One dies of Nipah virus in Rajshahi
Date: 2 March 2023; Disease: Nipah Virus; Location: Rajshahi, BangladeshOne woman died of Nipah virus in Rajshahi Medical College Hospital (RMCH) on 1 March. The deceased, a 25-year-old female, was admitted to the neuro medicine ward of RMCH with common symptoms like fever and seizures. Complications escalated after she was diagnosed with Nipah virus and was eventually referred to Nipah ICU. She died around 5pm while undergoing treatment. Read more at Dhaka Tribune.

Nepal: Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 virus outbreak
Date: 2 March 2023; Disease: HPAI (H5N1); Location: British Embassy. Bagmati province, Nepal
20 house crows died of HPAI (H5N1) in wild setting out of 200 susceptible birds’ population. The report to WOAH indicates that sudden death of crows has been observed under a tree, which were later tested positive. Read more at WOAH.

Bhutan: African swine fever (ASF) outbreak in domestic pigs
Date: 2 March 2023; Disease: ASF; Location: Doragaon, Loongsilsa, Dagana, Lhamoizingkha, Bhutan6 domestic pigs died of ASF and 5 were killed and disposed of in a most recent ASF outbreak. The report indicates the source of the infection as swill feeding, fomites (humans, vehicles, feed, etc.), and illegal movement of animals. The event is ongoing. Read more at WOAH.

China: New human cases of H5N6 and H9N2 avian influenza reported
Date: 2 March 2023; Disease: Avian influenza H5N6 and H9N2; Location: Guangdong province, China
Hong Kong SAR's Centre for Health Protection (CHP) said today that China has reported another H5N6 avian flu case, which involves a 49-year-old man from Guangdong province whose symptoms began on Dec 17, 2022, after contact with live poultry. On 21 December the man was hospitalized, and he is now in serious condition. H5N6 infections are often severe or fatal. Since 2014, China has reported 83 H5N6 cases. The virus is known to circulate in poultry in some Asian countries, but so far only China and Laos have reported human cases. Also, two more cases of H9N2 avian flu were reported, according to the CHP's monthly avian flu report. The patients are a 6-year-old girl from Sichuan province who got sick on 23 October 2022, and a 9-month-old girl whose symptoms began on 15 November 2022. H9N2 is also known to circulate in poultry in a number of Asian countries, but most human cases have been reported in China. Illnesses are usually mild and affect children. Read more at CIDRAP and Hong Kong SAR.

China: Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 virus outbreak
Date: 2 March 2023; Disease: HPAI (H5N1); Location: Lunbei Township, Yunlin County, Taiwan province of China10 domestic birds were reported to be dead out of 28 susceptible birds population. Rest of the 18 birds were killed and disposed of. The local government reported that dead chickens were discarded on the roadside in Yunlin County on 14 January 2023. The local government traced back to the source and confirmed it was from one backyard for their own use and no contact with poultry or poultry facilities. Read more at WOAH.

Japan: More than 15 million chickens killed due to avian influenza
Date: 2 March 2023; Disease: Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI); Location: Fukuoka city, JapanA suspected case of HPAI in a chicken farm in Fukuoka City was confirmed positive by genetic testing. At present, about 243,000 laying hens raised by the chicken farm have been culled. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the number of culling targets on farms this season totaled about 15.02 million nationwide, a record high. Among them, there are about 13.86 million laying hens, more than 10% of the approximately 137.29 million (as of February 2022) raised nationwide. The increase in the number of culls has led to price increases of eggs and the suspension of sales of products using eggs, which has had an impact on the household economy that is suffering from rising prices. This is the fourth case of bird flu confirmed in Fukuoka Prefecture this season. Read more at Kyodo News.

China: Human case of H5N1 avian influenza reported
Date: 1 March 2023; Disease: Avian influenza (H5N1); Location: Jiangsu province, China
A woman in eastern China has tested positive for H5N1 bird flu, the strain of avian influenza which has spread around the world and worried experts. The news comes just a week after two people in Cambodia were infected with a similar variant. The latest case is a 53-year-old woman from Jiangsu province in eastern China, according to WHO. She developed symptoms on January 31 after exposure to poultry and tested positive some time in February. Her current condition is unknown. Last week, an 11-year-old girl in Cambodia died of H5N1 avian influenza after ducks and chickens at her home died suddenly. Her father, a 49-year-old man, tested positive a few days later but did not become seriously ill. Read more at BNO News.

India: Five-year-old girl dies of rabies in Surat
Date: 1 March 2023; Disease: Rabies; Location: Surat, Gujarat; IndiaIn a rare case, a 5-year-old girl died due to a rabies infection during treatment at Surat Municipal Institute of Medical Education and Research Hospital on 28 Feb 2023. The girl had developed severe symptoms of rabies on 25 Feb 2023 after which she was admitted to the hospital. The family of the deceased said that their daughter was not bitten by a dog. But added that she might have come in contact with a dog 6 months ago. The family members told the health officials of Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) that a dog may have licked the girl's wound when she fell down while playing. The family members alleged their daughter was a victim of dog menace as the civic authorities had not taken timely actions against stray dogs in their area of Palanpur Jakatnaka. Read more at The Times of India.

Indonesia: Hundreds of cattle suspected of lumpy skin disease (LSD)
Date: 28 February 2023; Disease; LSD; Location: East Java, Inodonesia.
The Magetan Regency [East Java] Livestock and Fisheries Service recorded 214 cows owned by residents suspected of having LSD. Head of the Livestock and Fisheries Service for Magetan Regency said that 10 cows belonging to the UPTD [Unit Pelaksana Teknis Daerah; regional technical implementation unit] of the East Java Provincial Government in Pramplelan Village, Karangrejo District, tested positive for LSD. Related to these findings, the Magetan Regency Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Service will intensify vaccinations, especially for dairy cows. The Magetan Regency Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Service has received 1380 doses of the LSD vaccine. The agency will prioritize administering vaccines to residents' dairy cows. Read more at Kompas.

Nepal: Over 2,800 pigs die due to African swine fever (ASF)
Date: 27 February 2023; Disease: ASF; Location: Chitwan, Nepal
Over 2,800 pigs have died in the district due to ASF, incurring a loss of over Rs 62 million, said the Veterinary Hospital and Livestock Services Expert Centre, Bharatpur. The fever has spread in four local levels, Bharatpur Metropolitan City-3, Ratnanagar and Khairahani municipalities and Ichhakamana Rural Municipality, killing at least 2,873 pigs kept in the total 12 pig farms, said the information officer for the Centre. Of the dead pigs, 1,916 are adult, and 957 piglets, he said. The contagious viral disease spreads in domestic and wild pigs. Its mortality rate can reach 100 percent.Having detected also eight months ago, the disease was reportedly confirmed on 16 May 2022. Read more at The Himalayan Times.

Russian Federation: African swine fever (ASF) outbreak in wild boars
Date: 3 March 2023; Disease: ASF; Location: Kleshhenki, Kostroma, Russian Federation9 wild boars died of ASF in a natural park. The event is ongoing. Read more at WOAH.

Lion infected with covid-19 probably passed it on to two zoo workers
Date: 4 March 2023
A lion that was infected with the coronavirus probably passed it on to two zoo employees, researchers have said in a new paper. Viral samples collected from the animal and the two workers were identical, with contact tracing suggesting the employees didn’t catch the infection in any other way. Previous studies suggest that the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus has been passed from people to animals, such as their pets, and from animals like minks, domestic cats and hamsters to people. Animal-to-human transmission is considered to be rare, however, and hadn’t previously been documented in a zoo setting. Now, Audrey Siegrist at Potawatomi Zoo in South Bend, Indiana, and her colleagues have reported how a lion at the zoo is strongly suspected to have infected two employees. Read more at New Scientist.

SARS-CoV-2 in animals: susceptibility of animal species, risk for animal and public health, monitoring, prevention and control
Date: 19 January 2023
The epidemiological situation of SARS-CoV-2 in humans and animals is continually evolving. To date, animal species known to transmit SARS-CoV-2 are American mink, raccoon dog, cat, ferret, hamster, house mouse, Egyptian fruit bat, deer mouse and white-tailed deer. Among farmed animals, American mink have the highest likelihood to become infected from humans or animals and further transmit SARS-CoV-2. In the EU, 44 outbreaks were reported in 2021 in mink farms in seven MSs, while only six in 2022 in two MSs, thus representing a decreasing trend. The introduction of SARS-CoV-2 into mink farms is usually via infected humans; this can be controlled by systematically testing people entering farms and adequate biosecurity. The current most appropriate monitoring approach for mink is the outbreak confirmation based on suspicion, testing dead or clinically sick animals in case of increased mortality or positive farm personnel and the genomic surveillance of virus variants. The genomic analysis of SARS-CoV-2 showed mink-specific clusters with a potential to spill back into the human population. Among companion animals, cats, ferrets and hamsters are those at highest risk of SARSCoV-2 infection, which most likely originates from an infected human, and which has no or very low impact on virus circulation in the human population. Among wild animals (including zoo animals), mostly carnivores, great apes and white-tailed deer have been reported to be naturally infected by SARS-CoV-2. In the EU, no cases of infected wildlife have been reported so far. Proper disposal of human waste is advised to reduce the risks of spill-over of SARS-CoV-2 to wildlife. Furthermore, contact with wildlife, especially if sick or dead, should be minimised. No specific monitoring for wildlife is recommended apart from testing hunter-harvested animals with clinical signs or found-dead. Bats should be monitored as a natural host of many coronaviruses. Read more at Wiley.

African swine fever (ASF) Asia and Pacific situation update
Date: 3 March 2023
Highlights from the most recent ASF situation update in the Asia and Pacific region includes reports of ASF for the first time in Sulawesi Island, Indonesia; report of first ASF case in Capiz Province on 23 February 2023 in the Philippines; and report of ASF in Dagana District of Bhutan. Read more at FAO.

Viet Nam: Restrictions on antimicrobial use in aquaculture and livestock (info sheet)
Date: 6 March 2023
The information sheet summarizes key regulations on the use and prescription requirements of antimicrobial-containing products intended for terrestrial animal production in Viet Nam according to Decree 13/2020/ND-CP (issued 21 January 2020), Circular 12/2020/TT-BNNPTNT (issued 9 November 2020) and Circular 13/2022/TT-BNNPTNT (issued 28 September 2022). This publication reiterates that from 9 September 2020 the use of antimicrobial-containing products, depending on farm-scale, requires a prescription issued by a qualified professional in veterinary diagnosis, examination, treatment and surgery. View the restrictions and information sheet.

Antimicrobial resistance could kill more people than cancer by 2050, experts say
Date: 27 February 2023
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the biggest threats facing healthcare, and is projected to kill more people by 2050 than cancer, say experts. In lower- to middle-income countries during the COVID-19 pandemic, one in four deaths among seriously ill patients who had been in the intensive care unit (ICU) for five days or more was caused by AMR, said Professor David Paterson of the NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health. The problem also exists in rich countries but to a lesser extent. Read more at The Straits Times.

Avian Influenza A (H5N1) in Cambodia: A report
Date: 26 February 2023
On 23 February 2023, the Cambodia International Health Regulations (IHR) National Focal Point (NFP) reported one confirmed case of human infection with avian influenza A (H5N1) virus to WHO. A second case, a family contact of the first case, was reported on 24 February 2023. An outbreak investigation is ongoing including determining the exposure of these two reported cases to the virus. These are the first two cases of avian influenza A (H5N1) reported from Cambodia since 2014. In December 2003, Cambodia reported an outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) H5N1 for the first time affecting wild birds. Since then, and until 2014, human cases due to poultry-to-human transmission have been sporadically reported in Cambodia. H5N1 infection in humans can cause severe disease, has a high mortality rate, and is notifiable under IHR (2005). Read more at WHO.
Furthermore, in other avian flu developments, CIDRAP reported that there was no human-to-human spread in Cambodia. Cambodian officials said the daughter and father who were recently infected with H5N1 were both exposed to village poultry and that there is no sign of human-to-human transmission, according to the Associated Press. The story said the father had few symptoms and has been released from the hospital after testing negative three times. His 11-year-old daughter had a severe infection and died from her illness. Read more at CIDRAP (umn.edu).

H9N2 avian influenza virus dispersal along Bangladeshi poultry trading networks
Date: 25 February 2023
Avian influenza virus subtype H9N2 is endemic in Bangladesh’s poultry population. The subtype affects poultry production and poses a potential zoonotic risk. Insufficient understanding of how the poultry trading network shapes the dissemination of avian influenza viruses has hindered the design of targeted interventions to reduce their spread. Here, we use phylodynamic analyses of haemagglutinin (HA) sequences to investigate the spatial spread and dispersal patterns of H9N2 viruses in Bangladesh’s poultry population, focusing on its two largest cities (Dhaka and Chattogram) and their poultry production and distribution networks. Our analyses suggest that H9N2 subtype avian influenza virus lineage movement occurs relatively less frequently between Bangladesh’s two largest cities than within each city. H9N2 viruses detected in single markets are often more closely related to viruses from other markets in the same city than to each other, consistent with close epidemiological connectivity between markets. Our analyses also suggest that H9N2 viruses may spread more frequently between chickens of the three most commonly sold types (sunali - a cross-bred of Fayoumi hen and Rhode Island Red cock, deshi - local indigenous, and exotic broiler) in Dhaka than in Chattogram. Overall, this study improves our understanding of how Bangladesh’s poultry trading system impacts avian influenza virus spread and should contribute to the design of tailored surveillance that accommodates local heterogeneity in virus dispersal patterns. Read more at Oxford University Press.

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