Volume: 216, Published: 28 March 2023

China: One H3N8 case reported in Zhongshan city
Date: 26 March 2023; Disease: Influenza A (H3N8); Zhongshan city, Guangdong province, China
A case of H3N8 was reported in Zhongshan City. The case was a female, 56 years old, with a previous history of multiple myeloma and other underlying medical conditions, a history of live bird exposure before the onset of the disease, and a history of wild bird activity around the home. The CDC reviewed the case specimen and tested it positive for H3N8 avian influenza virus nucleic acid. Read more at Guangdong Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Japan: 330,000 chickens to be culled over new avian influenza outbreak
Date: 24 March 2023; Date: Avian influenza; Location: Aomori Prefecture, Japan
According to the local officials, around 330,000 chickens will be culled in Japan's Aomori Prefecture following a new outbreak of avian influenza. Official statement added that the relevant structures received a message about an increase in the number of dead birds on one of the farms. After testing for the presence of the bird avian influenza, the results of 11 out of 13 birds were positive. Quarantine for the transportation of chickens and eggs was introduced within a radius of a 3-kilometer zone surrounding the farm. Authorities will also disinfect the farm and its equipment. Read more at Almaya Deen.

Philippines: African swine fever (ASF) outbreaks reported in Cebu areas
Date: 21 March 2023; Disease: ASF; Location: Cebu areas, Philippines
Five more areas in Cebu have confirmed outbreaks of ASF, weeks after the first case was detected in Carcar, the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) reported. The new outbreaks were recorded in the cities of Cebu and Bogo as well as in the municipalities of Liloan, Sibonga and Tuburan. officials said that sample collections were conducted in backyard farms by concerned local government units as part of the disease investigation and surveillance. The samples were submitted to the Regional Animal Disease Diagnostic and Reference Laboratory in Central Visayas and tested using real time-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Read more at Philstar.

Rep of Korea: Additional case of African swine fever (ASF) reported in one month
Date: 20 March 2023; Disease: ASF; Location: Poncheon, Republic of Korea
Another ASF case was reported after a one-month hiatus and issued a standstill order on pig farms and related facilities in the country's northern regions, the agriculture ministry said. The animal disease was found at a pig farm in the city of Pocheon, 41 kilometers northeast of Seoul, which raised 12,842 pigs, after 50 of the pigs died last week and an in-depth inspection was conducted, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. It marked the fifth ASF case in the country so far this year, with the last case being reported in the northern county of Yangyang in mid-February. Read more at Yonhap News Agency.

Russian Federation: Brucellosis cases reported
Date: 22 March 2023; Disease: Brucellosis; Location: Republic of Tuva, Russian Federation
An alarming situation with brucellosis was observed in 6 administrative territories, where 11 foci of the disease have been identified. The Government of the Republic of Tuva reported that after 30 local residents infected with brucellosis were identified in the republic, including 12 minor children, the head of the regional Rospotrebnadzor proposed an extraordinary medical examination of livestock workers. In addition to the sick, 11 more people who had contact with the infected are subject to examination. According to the chief sanitary doctor, indirect reasons for the spread of brucellosis may be noncompliance with veterinary requirements when handling pets. The Republican Rospotrebnadzor, together with the authorities, is developing measures that will help prevent the emergence of new foci of infection. Read more at Vesti.

Situation update: Global avian influenza virus with zoonotic potential
Date: 23 March 2023
The latest SitRep on global AIV includes 897 new HPAI events reported across Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Europe; first reports of H5N1 in Bhutan, Cambodia, Honduras, Senegal, and H5N5 in Canada and Sweden; 1 new LPAI event; 7 new human infections; 29 new relevant publications; 48 new bird species reported; 4 new mammalian species reported infected and more. Read more at FAO.

India: Rabies from stray dogs killed 37 in five years in Delhi
Date: 18 March 2023
Rabies has killed as many as 37 people in the city over the last five years with all of them contracting the fatal disease after being bitten by stray dogs, according to Municipal Corporation of Delhi report. The report says that the maximum number of fatalities was reported in 2018 (15) followed by 2019 when 10 such deaths were recorded. The years 2020 and 2021 witnessed three deaths each while six deaths were reported last year, according to the report. The MCD report also says that an estimated 1,14,951 bites from stray dogs were reported between 2018 and February this year. The highest number of such dog bites was reported in 2022, at 51,206 cases, followed by 2020 when the figure stood at 21,979. Read more at The New Indian Express.

One Health assessment of an urban temporary settlement reveals gut microbiome serving as antimicrobial resistance gene reservoir
Date: 15 March 2023
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is an emerging and growing global health challenge that could result in 10.2 million deaths annually by 2050. The unrestricted and haphazard use of antibiotics is contributing to the rapid emergence and spread of AMR, and the problem is exacerbated by release of untreated waste water from high-risk sources like hospitals into rivers. Bacteria often develop resistance through horizontal gene transfer mechanism and gut flora can act as a source for new Antimicrobial Resistance Genes (ARG). Upcoming methods like metagenomics can identify the resistance profile (AMR) of gut microbiome, and detect bacterial infections that otherwise go unnoticed. Our study focused on understanding the presence of AMR mutations and gene transfer dynamics in human, animal and environmental samples collected in one of the temporary settlements of Kathmandu (Nepal) using One Health approach. Current AMR reporting based on clinical cases is limited and does not provide information on specific pathogen and associated AMR genes-our study is an effort to contribute information to fulfill this gap. Get full text at BioRxiv.

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