Volume: 233, Published: 25 July 2023

Jammu and Kashmir: Foot and mouth disease (FMD) outbreak leaves Anantnag farmers in distress

Date: 24 July 2023; Disease: FMD; Location: Anantnag, Jammu and Kashmir

The outbreak of FMD in Kiram village in south Kashmir’s Anantnag village has left farmers in distress. A resident of Kasnad village said that the FMD has affected animals in the village and the vaccination has not been done so far. He added that the previous year, the Animal Husbandry Department conducted the vaccination on time (May-June) however this year they are yet to do it and the disease has affected animals. The resident, who is a tribal activist, said the disease has affected many villages like Panharm, Khudpora, Panad. Read more at Rising Kashmir.

Nepal: More than 48,000 cattle died from lumpy skin disease (LSD) that has affected all of the country’s 77 districts.

Date: 24 July 2023; Disease: LSD; Location: Rasuwa and other locations, Nepal

According to the latest data available with the Department of Livestock Services, 48,133 cattle died and 1,054,055 have been infected by the highly contagious viral disease since its outbreak in April. The information officer at the Department of Livestock Services shared that farmers in Sudurpaschim and Karnali provinces have been greatly affected and currently the virus has been found to be spreading in the cattle of Bagmati Province and those in the hills and mountainous parts of other provinces as well. Read more at The Kathmandu Post. An earlier report shared that LSD is taking the death toll on cattle in Rasuwa. A total of 159 cattle died due to infection in the district. LSD has been broken out in all five rural municipalities of the district. Among them, Gosainkunda rural municipality has seen the biggest loss of cattle. Read more at Nepal News and My Republica.

Pakistan: Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) deaths reaches 10

Date: 22 July 2023; Disease: CCHF; Location: Quetta, Pakistan

The death toll from the fever has reached 10 this year as another patient with the Congo virus passed away in Quetta on Saturday. The 27-year-old deceased was a patient at the Fatima Jinnah Hospital in Quetta. At least three cases of CCHF were previously reported in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The patients who were showing signs of the Congo virus were transferred to the Hayatabad Medical Complex for care. Residents of Kohat, Batkhela, and Bara in KP make up the three affected parties. A 35 year-old male died in Quetta on 10 July after contracting the Congo virus who was taken three days ago to the Fatima Jinnah Hospital. Read more at Minute Mirror.

Malaysia: African swine fever (ASF) confirmed in Johor state

Date: 21 July 2023; Disease: ASF; Location: Johor state, Malaysia

Ten animals were confirmed positive for ASF in a backyard farm, out of a batch of 472 pigs. No deaths were reported. Read more at FAO Empres-i.

Philippines: Zamboanga city reported seven leptospirosis fatalities till June 2023

Date: 20 July 2023; Disease: Leptospirosis; Location: Zamboanga city, Philippines

The Zamboanga City Health Office recorded seven leptospirosis fatalities from January to June this year. The ZCHO logged a total of 73 leptospirosis cases in the same period. Fatalities were from Barangays Divisoria, San Jose Gusu, San Roque, Sangali, Guiwan, and Mampang. Barangay Mampang had two fatalities. Most of the deaths were registered in January and February when this city experienced flooding due to heavy rains. These figures are 508 percent higher compared to the same period last year, said a city health officer. Officials have warned residents against the disease due to intermittent rains here in the past weeks. Read more at Manila Bulletin.

India: Dog that bit two kids found rabies

Date: 20 July 2023; Disease: Rabies; Location: Thiruvananthapuram, India

The stray dog that bit two kids at Balaramapuram and left them with serious wounds has tested positive for rabies. The dog was found dead a day after it went around biting the children. The sample was sent to the state institute for animal diseases and rabies was confirmed. A two -year old boy and a three year old girl from different families were badly wounded in a stray dog attack. Both the kids have been discharged from the hospital and are now recovering at home. Read more at The Times of India.

China: A human case of avian influenza A(H9N2) reported in Guangxi

Date: 20 July 2023; Disease: Avian influenza A(H9N2); Location:  Guangxi autonomous region, China

A human case of avian influenza A(H9N2) was reported in Guangxi Autonomous Region. Read more at Flu.

Mongolia: Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) reported in sheep and goats

Date: 17 July 2023; Disease: PPR; Location: Khukh am, Dornogovi, Mongolia

One sheep and 42 goats in domestic farm were confirmed positive for PPR where 5 goats died of the disease. 150 sheep and 300 goats are reported to be at risk. Read more at FAO Empres-i.

Russian Federation: African swine fever (ASF) outbreak

Date: 21 July 2023; Disease: ASF; Location: Vyatsky Bereg and Podysakovo, Russian Federation

Two wild boars died of ASF in recent outbreaks in Vyatsky Bereg and Podysakovo. Read more at WOAH (Vyatsky Bereg) and WOAH (Podysakovo). 

Annual trading patterns and risk factors of avian influenza A/H5 and A/H9 virus circulation in turkey birdsat live bird markets in Dhaka city, Bangladesh

Date: 21 July 2023

The impacts of the avian influenza virus (AIV) on farmed poultry and wild birds affect human health, livelihoods, food security, and international trade. The movement patterns of turkey birds from farms to live bird markets (LBMs) and infection of AIV are poorly understood in Bangladesh. Thus, we conducted weekly longitudinal surveillance in LBMs to understand the trading patterns, temporal trends, and risk factors of AIV circulation in turkey birds. We sampled a total of 423 turkeys from two LBMs in Dhaka between May 2018 and September 2019. We tested the swab samples for the AIV matrix gene (M-gene) followed by H5, H7, and H9 subtypes using real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR). We used exploratory analysis to investigate trading patterns, annual cyclic trends of AIV and its subtypes, and a generalized estimating equation (GEE) logistic model to determine the factors that influence the infection of H5 and H9 in turkeys. Furthermore, we conducted an observational study and informal interviews with traders and vendors to record turkey trading patterns, demand, and supply and turkey handling practices in LBM. We found that all trade routes of turkey birds to northern Dhaka are unidirectional and originate from the northwestern and southern regions of Bangladesh. The number of trades from the source district to Dhaka depends on the turkey density. The median distance that turkey was traded from its source district to Dhaka was 188 km (Q1 = 165, Q3 = 210, IQR = 45.5). We observed seasonal variation in the median and average distance of turkey. The qualitative findings revealed that turkey farming initially became reasonably profitable in 2018 and at the beginning of 2019. However, the fall in demand and production in the middle of 2019 may be related to unstable market pricing, high feed costs, a shortfall of adequate marketing facilities, poor consumer knowledge, and a lack of advertising. The overall prevalence of AIV, H5, and H9 subtypes in turkeys was 31% (95% CI: 26.6-35.4), 16.3% (95% CI: 12.8-19.8), and 10.2% (95% CI: 7.3-13.1) respectively. None of the samples were positive for H7. The circulation of AIV and H9 across the annual cycle showed no seasonality, whereas the circulation of H5 showed significant seasonality. The GEE revealed that detection of AIV increases in retail vendor business (OR: 1.71; 95% CI: 1.12-2.62) and the bird´s health status is sick (OR: 10.77; 95% CI: 4.31-26.94) or dead (OR: 11.33; 95% CI: 4.30-29.89). We also observed that winter season (OR: 5.83; 95% CI: 2.80-12.14) than summer season, dead birds (OR: 61.71; 95% CI: 25.78-147.75) and sick birds (OR 8.33; 95% CI: 3.36-20.64) compared to healthy birds has a higher risk of H5 infection in turkeys. This study revealed that the turkeys movements vary by time and season from the farm to the LBM. This surveillance indicated year-round circulation of AIV with H5 and H9 subtypes in turkey birds in LBMs. The seasonality and health condition of birds influence H5 infection in birds. The trading pattern of turkey may play a role in the transmission of AIV viruses in the birds. The selling of sick turkeys infected with H5 and H9 highlights the possibility of virus transmission to other species of birds sold at LBMs and to people. Get full text at Frontiers

Guidance to facilitate monitoring and evaluation for antimicrobial resistance national action plans

Date: 20 July 2023

In 2022, the three organizations, FAO, WHO and WOAH officially became the Quadripartite, adding the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to the Alliance "to accelerate the coordination strategy for human, animal and ecosystem health." By adopting the GAP-AMR, countries agreed to develop National Action Plans (NAPs) aligned with the GAP-AMR to mainstream AMR interventions nationally. This country M&E guidance document was developed as a reference for countries to support the development and delivery of AMR NAPs. It assists in establishing an M&E plan for their AMR NAP, building on existing national reporting systems and recommended indicators from the GAP-AMR M&E framework. View full text at FAO.

A One Health priority research agenda for antimicrobial resistance (AMR)

Date: 20 July 2023

While the One Health approach is relevant to all efforts to prevent and control AMR, this priority research agenda focuses on research areas at the interface between sectors. This research agenda is a joint product of the Quadripartite organizations –FAO, UNEP, WHO and WOAH - and a result of extensive stakeholder and expert engagement. A structured mixed-methods approach was used including reviews of academic and grey literature, online open global survey, and consensus exercise by modified Delphi method in which global experts prioritized research areas for the five pillars: transmission, integrated surveillance, interventions, behavioral insights and change, and economics and policy. We hope this research agenda will serve as a guiding tool for countries, research institutes and funding bodies to support for One Health AMR research, helping policymakers, researchers and the multidisciplinary scientific community to work together across sectors on solutions that will prevent and mitigate AMR on a national, regional and global scale as further evidence on research strategies, interventions and policies is required to understand what works, in which contexts and for whom. View full text at FAO.

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