Causing over 300000 cat deaths! What kind of coronavirus is this? Will it be passed on to others? Animals | Drugs | Transmission to humans
Introduction: According to the head of the local "Cat Claw" organization, over 300000 cats have died on the island since the beginning of this year, of which at least one-third have died from FIP coronavirus infection.
A coronavirus strain causing feline infectious peritonitis is spreading on the island of Cyprus. According to the head of the local "Cat Claw" organization, over 300000 cats have died on the island since the beginning of this year, with at least one-third dying from FIP coronavirus infection. This number is much higher than the official report of over 100 cases.
At present, this virus only infects stray and domestic cats and does not pose a threat to humans. However, if the epidemic spreads to other countries and regions, it may lead to more cat deaths.
Cyprus is the location of the earliest evidence of animal domestication, and is known as "Cat Island" due to the large number of cats on the island. Many of the cats on the island are stray cats.
Feline infectious peritonitis, also known as feline transmission, can cause symptoms such as fever, abdominal swelling, weakness, and aggression. In order to slow down the spread of the virus, some domestic cats infected with the FIP virus have been quarantined in clinics, while some cats that have already shown symptoms are being treated.
The vice president of the local veterinary association, Demetris Epaminondas, stated that this wave of feline transmission began in January of this year and began to spread throughout the entire island of Cyprus in March and April. He added in a blog post that this is the first time in history that such a large-scale feline transmission outbreak has occurred. It is also reported that the epidemic is spreading to Lebanon, Israel, Türkiye and other neighboring countries.
Dr. Yang Qiqing, President of Shanghai Pet Industry Association and Director of Shanghai Lovers Pet Hospital, told First Financial that the only way to prevent this disease at present is through medication treatment. A new COVID-19 "star drug" remdesivir has been approved in the UK for the treatment of animal coronavirus infection. The related therapeutic drug is GS-441524, which is currently being exported to Cyprus. But the drug is expensive, and the treatment cost for a 3-4 kilogram cat can range from 2500 to 6000 pounds.
Another alternative treatment is also the COVID-19 drug Monupiravir. The treatment cost of each animal is about 170 pounds, but the drug has not been approved for animal treatment.
Yang Qiqing told First Finance that at present, in Shanghai and the whole China, cat transmission has been effectively controlled, and the incidence rate is declining year by year. "The current data indicates that this virus has species specificity and only spreads in feline animals, without cross species transmission," Yang Qiqing told reporters from First Financial News.