Volume: 217, Published: 4 April 2023

Republic of Korea: African swine fever (ASF) occurred at a pig farm
Date: 30 March 2023; Disease: ASF; Location: Pocheon, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea
An ASF outbreak was reported in a pig farm that raised 9000 pigs where 4 pigs died of the disease. The farm is operated by the same owner as the farm in Pocheon where ASF occurred on 19 March. Officials have planned to cull the pigs in the farm following the Emergency Action Guidelines and close inspections are conducted on farms within the quarantine zone and farms that have an epidemiological relationship with the farm where the outbreak occurred.  Read more at MAFRA (Korean).

Philippines: African swine fever (ASF) outbreaks in 12 areas of Cebu
Date: 30 March 2023; Disease: ASF; Location: Cebu, Philippines
An ASF infections have spread to 12 areas in Cebu province, according to the latest report of the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI). The BAI's Bantay ASF report on 27 March listed the following cities and towns as infected: Bogo City, Carcar City, Cebu City, Cordova, Lapu-Lapu City, Liloan, Mandaue City, Minglanilla, San Fernando, Sibonga, Talisay City, and Tuburan. The BAI's previous bulletin on March 20 reported six areas had cases of ASF: Carcar City, Cebu City, Liloan, Tuburan, Bogo City, and Sibonga. Ofifcials have directed all government agencies and local government units in the province to comply with the national zoning and movement plan for ASF. Read more at CNN Philippines.

China, Hong Kong SAR: Cluster of Influenza A cases in Princess Margaret Hospital
Date: 29 March 2023; Disease: Influenza A; Location: Princess Margaret Hospital, Hong Kong SAR, China
Three patients (aged 72 to 94) with chronic diseases of a male medical and geriatric ward in Lai King Building had presented with respiratory symptoms since 26 March. Appropriate viral tests had been arranged for the patients and their test results were positive to Influenza A. Two patients are under isolation with critical and serious condition respectively while the other patient has passed away due to underlying medical conditions. Infection control measures have already been stepped up according to established guidelines. All other patients in the ward concerned are under close surveillance. The cases have been reported to the hospital authority and the Centre for Health Protection for necessary follow-up. Read more at China Hong Kong SAR.

Japan: Massive chicken cull due to avian influenza (AI) outbreak
Date: 28 March 2023; Disease: Avian influenza; Location: Hokkaido, Japan
Officials in Japan's northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido say they have begun culling hundreds of thousands of chickens after a highly contagious strain of AI was detected at a poultry farm. Prefectural officials reported that a poultry farm in Chitose City reported dead chickens. Genetic testing revealed the H5 strain of bird flu, which is said to have a high mortality rate. The prefectural government convened an emergency meeting and decided to dispose of about 560,000 chickens at the farm. This is the highest number of chickens ever culled for bird flu in Hokkaido. Read more at NHK.

Bhutan: African swine fever (ASF) outbreak
Date: 1 April 2023; Disease: ASF; Location: Dawathang village, Showapang chiwog, Sarpang, Bhutan
An outbreak of ASF in a domestic farm has resulted in death of 4 pigs while 8 cases were confirmed, out of a total 83 animals. The event is ongoing. Read more at WOAH.

Republic of Korea: African swine fever (ASF), environmental investigation begins
Date: 3 April 2023
The National Wildlife Disease Management Service has been conducting environmental surveys from 3 April. This year's environmental survey focuses on agricultural land, burial grounds, and rivers in 10 cities and counties where ASF has recently occurred. The farmland survey is conducted for about three weeks from 3 April when agricultural activities begin in earnest, and soil is collected from about 160 points around the farmland and viruses are analyzed. This environmental survey has been conducted every year since October 2019, when it first occurred, and the survey area is also increasing as the virus detection area expands. Read more at Rep of Korea (Korean, auto translated).

African swine fever (ASF) Asia and Pacific situation update
Date: 30 March 2023
Highlights from the most recent ASF situation update in the Asia and Pacific region includes reports of ASF outbreak in a pig farm in Republic of Korea, Cebu Province in the Philippines lifted border restrictions for live pigs, suspended culling within 500-meter radius of an outbreak; and further ASF outbreaks are reported in Sudurpashchim Province of Nepal. Read more at FAO.

Cambodia: 1.2 million cattle vaccinated in 2022 to prevent disease outbreaks
Date: 30 March 2023
Some 1,267,742 buffalos and cows were vaccinated by the Ministry of Agriculture, Cambodia last year to protect them against foot and mouth, lumpy skin, blackleg and hemorrhagic septicemia. According to the ministry’s annual report for 2022, 9,262 ministry officials were stationed across the country to deal with any outbreak. It added that the officials also shared safety measures and know-how to prevent the spread of the diseases with cattle raisers as well as companies transporting livestock. The director of the provincial agriculture department, said yesterday that provincial authorities were involved in various vaccination campaigns to protect cattle against foot and mouth disease, blackleg, hemorrhagic septicemia, especially lumpy skin. Read more at Khmer Times.

Global mapping of bushmeat activity to improve zoonotic spillover surveillance
Date: 28 March 2023
In a recent study published in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, researchers use geospatial models based on published data and demographic and ecological drivers of bushmeat activity to predict the global rural areas of bushmeat activity. This information can be utilized to predict the emergence of zoonotic diseases. In the present study, researchers used demographic and environmental covariates and published data to calibrate geospatial models to map bushmeat activities across rural areas in tropical and subtropical regions. The study findings suggest that the modeling of bushmeat activities could significantly improve the prediction of zoonotic disease outbreaks at a global level. Targeted surveillance of regions with high bushmeat activity could help prevent zoonotic spillovers and increase the preparedness for global zoonotic disease outbreaks. Read more at News medical or get full text at Emerging Infectious Diseases journal.

India: Health officials claim lumpy Skin disease (LSD) contained in Mysuru
Date: 28 March 2023
LSD, which ravaged this border district about five months ago, has now been contained, officials confirmed. The department of animal husbandry and veterinary sciences has successfully prevented the spread of the infection after 7,943 cattle were infected, out of which, 7,518 have recovered, while 435 have died. According to sources, out of the 550 villages in the district, with nearly two-and-a-half lakh cows and buffaloes, more than 336 were affected by the disease. Read more at Times of India.

Lumpy skin disease (LSD) virus genome decoded in union territory of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K)
Date: 28 March 2023
Technocrats/ Researchers at Institute of Animal Health and Biological Products (IAH & BP), Zakura, Srinagar under the Department of Animal Husbandry Kashmir undertook the first complete genome sequencing of LSD virus directly from a clinical sample in Kashmir valley. LSD, a vector borne viral disease of cattle and buffalo which wreaked havoc in around 22 states/UTs of India including Jammu & Kashmir during the 2022 LSD outbreak. In India the disease was reported for the first time in August 2019 in Odisha. The UT of Jammu & Kashmir was free from LSD until the first reported cases in August, 2022 from the twin villages of Gugloosa & Shumnag in district Kupwara. The disease is characterized by fever, reduced milk production and skin nodules. The World Organization for Animal Health categorizes LSD as a notifiable disease. Read more at Jammu Links News.

Quadripartite call to action for One Health for a safer world
Date: 27 March 2023
Recent international health emergencies such as COVID-19 pandemic, mpox, Ebola outbreaks, and continued threats of other zoonotic diseases, food safety, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) challenges, as well as ecosystem degradation and climate change clearly demonstrate the need for resilient health systems and accelerated global action. One Health is seen as the main approach for tackling these pressing and complex challenges facing our society. At their first annual face-to-face meeting today, the heads of the Quadripartite organizations working on One Health issued an unprecedented call for enhanced global action. The Quadripartite aims to achieve together what no one sector can achieve alone, and it consists of four main agencies: the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), World Health Organization (WHO) and World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH). Read more at WHO.

Highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1): A One Health approach that links human, animal, and environmental health is essential
Date: 14 March 2023
Global reports of highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1) in birds are increasing, with cases reported from every region except Australasia and Antarctica since 2020. The global spread of these avian influenza outbreaks is unprecedented, exacting large economic losses to poultry industries and tourism, and posing a substantial threat to global health security and animal ecology. In Europe, 2520 H5N1 outbreaks were reported in poultry between October 2021 and September 2022, and the virus was also detected in 3867 dead wild birds. The US reported 131 mammalian H5N1 infections among bears, foxes, raccoons, skunks, and seals between May 2022 and February 2023. In October 2022, an H5N1 outbreak among Spanish farmed minks was reported for the first time, triggering concerns that the virus might soon become transmissible between humans (mink are physiologically similar to ferrets, the animal model used to study transmissibility of influenza viruses among humans). Read more at BMJ (DOI).

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