Confirmed by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food of Korea Highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1) in two cats From an animal shelter in Yongsan-gu, Seoul.
The cats were suspected of being infected with a respiratory illness, and after confirmation with the requested test samples, they were finally Highly pathogenic avian influenza was diagnosed on July 25. According to the shelter, About 30 cats die every one to two days after showing symptoms Since late last month, symptoms such as high fever and loss of appetite have appeared.
In December 2016, South Korean authorities confirmed the presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (type H5N6) in domestic cats, and no human cases have been detected to date.
After the confirmed cases, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs immediately notified the disease management headquarters and other relevant agencies and local governments of the epidemic situation. Implement emergency quarantine measures such as cleaning, disinfection, and access control.
In addition, measures such as monitoring and inspection of susceptible livestock and poultry farms in the monitoring area (within a radius of 10 kilometers), inspection of epidemiologically relevant personnel and facilities, and monitoring and inspection of protective places and facilities are also planned. Influenza swept the country.
Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is rapidly implementing Measures to Prevent Human Infection with Avian InfluenzaAn example would be investigating contact with a dead cat. None of the contacts identified so far have shown symptomsand those classified as high risk will be closely monitored for symptoms during an incubation period of up to 10 days from the date of last exposure.
Other examples from Poland
On June 27, 2023, Polish authorities notified the World Health Organization of unusual deaths of cats across the country. As of July 11, a total of 47 samples were analyzed 46 cats and one wild cat in captivity, of which 29 people tested positive for Influenza A (H5N1). Fourteen cats were euthanized and another 11 cats died. Currently, the source of the cat’s exposure to the virus is unclear, and epidemiological investigations are ongoing.
There have been reports of sporadic infection of A(H5N1) virus in cats before, but this is First report of large numbers of infected cats over broad geographic area within a country.