Poland - Media Reports Of Unusual Cat Deaths - June 21, 2023 - reportedly "influenza", ECDC RIsk Assessment & OFFLU Statement - Food Chain Concerns -

[Michael Coston]

Poland Vet. Chief: Update On H5N1 In Cats (7/17/23)

#17,554


On the heels of yesterday's WHO DON Update on H5N1 in Cats in Poland we get the following update from Poland's CVO (Chief veterinary Officer) that updates the number of cats affected, indicates that the rate of new cases has decreased, but does not provide any additional insight as to source or mode of transmission.

(translated)​

Communication of the VII CVO on cat disease

Announcements 2023-07-17​

With reference to the announcement of July 7 this year, The Chief Veterinary Officer informs that as of July 17, 2023 (14:30) in Poland, samples from:

• 56 cats and 1 caracal to NRI - NRI in Puławy (29 cats and 1 positive caracal)

• 1 cat to the Jagiellonian University in Kraków (positive)

• 1 cat to AM Warsaw (positive)

• 2 cats examined by scientists of the Warsaw University of Life Sciences (SGGW) (positive)

• In total, out of 61 animals examined in Poland , 34 gave a positive result.

With regard to 31 animals , the Veterinary Inspection, with the consent of the animal owners, conducted epizootic investigations (as of July 17, 2023, 2:30 p.m.). In three cases, the reporting persons did not agree to share their personal data with the veterinary inspection. Analyzes of the collected data are in progress. At the same time, PIWET in Puławy conducted a sequencing study of genetic material in relation to 19 samples. Another 5 are under study.

The above analyzes indicate that the H5N1 virus of Genotype CH occurred in cats. Previously, the CH genotype virus was detected in a white stork in early June in the Tarnów district (outbreak No. 119/2023).

In the last week, the number of reported cases has significantly decreased in relation to the initial state, significantly fewer samples are also submitted for testing to NRI-NRI in Puławy.

https://afludiary.blogspot.com/2023/07/poland-vet-chief-update-on-h5n1-in-cats.html
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[Pathfinder]

Translation Google​

In Chełmek, Lesser Poland, a cat died of bird flu. Suspicious meat from Lidl. The client gave them to her pet raw

Malgorzata Glen
July 18, 2023, 9:02 am

A resident of Chełmek lost her beloved cat. She fed him fresh poultry meat. Suspicion fell on a product bought in a local Lidl store. The case is being handled by the District Prosecutor's Office Kraków - Śródmieście. The health department did not examine the rest of the meat, because when the inspectors together with the police reached the store, this batch of goods was gone. However, as emphasized by the Sanepid, you must not eat poultry meat raw, because it carries the risk of many diseases.

The case from Chełmek is being handled by the Kraków Śródmieście District Prosecutor's Office. The activities were commissioned by the municipal police from Krakow, because they have the appropriate department - to fight Crime Against Life and Health, and this, in turn, commissioned the activities to local policemen.

Sanepid carried out an inspection in Lidl in Chełmek

After the cat died and its owner testified, the State Poviat Sanitary Inspector in Oświęcim, together with police officers, carried out an inspection at the Lidl store in Chełmek, during which the source of the poultry meat purchased by the client was determined.

- However, there were no products from this manufacturer in the store - informs Dominika Łatak-Glonek, spokesperson for the Provincial Sanitary and Epidemiological Station in Krakow.

The information was submitted to the Poviat Veterinary Inspector in Oświęcim, supervising plants producing food of animal origin.

Do not eat raw poultry meat. NEVER

As Dominika Łatak-Glonek points out, the State Sanitary Inspection is responsible for the safety of food intended for human consumption. However, when it comes to products of animal origin, including meat and eggs, the State Veterinary Inspection is responsible for their inspections at the stage of breeding, slaughter and production. The State Sanitary Inspection checks products of animal origin after they have been placed on the market. When it comes to meat testing at this stage - they are not tested for the presence of viruses and this is a standard in EU countries. This is due to the fact that meat (especially poultry) should not be eaten without proper thermal treatment, which effectively kills the microbes present in it.

Importantly, the meat samples found in the inhabitant of Chełmek, i.e. the avian influenza A(H5N1) virus, do not show zoonotic features, i.e. the chance of transferring them from an animal to a human is negligible.

- There has never been a case of transmission of this virus from a cat to a human in history - emphasizes the spokeswoman for the health department.

The bodies of the State Sanitary Inspection had previously carried out preventive measures to prevent the occurrence of this disease in humans, e.g. by extending epidemiological supervision to the owners and keepers of cats confirmed to be infected with the avian influenza virus. No disturbing symptoms in humans have been recorded in this process.

We are waiting for Lidl's announcement

Lidl did not answer our questions. We wanted to know, among other things: whether the batch of "suspicious" meat was large and how many stores it went to.
...
The first cases of cats dying of avian flu appeared in Poland in the second half of June. Their description shows that the disease progresses very quickly. It is still not really known how cats become infected with the bird flu virus. Suspicion fell on the food, specifically raw poultry meat, which the owners give their animals, which should not be done. By mid-July 2023, several dozen confirmed cases of avian influenza in cats were confirmed in Poland. Sick animals have various symptoms, among the most severe are respiratory and neurological problems.

...

https://gazetakrakowska.pl/w-chelmk...swojemu-zwierzakowi-na-surowo/ar/c1-17729063​

 

[Pathfinder]

Translation Google

Experts of the Polish Academy of Sciences advise on how to care for cats during the risk of avian influenza infections

AUGUST 2, 2023
Prof. dr hab. Tadeusz Frymus, prof. dr hab. Krzysztof Pyrć and prof. dr hab. Romuald Zabielski from the Committee of Veterinary Sciences and Reproductive Biology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, chaired by prof. dr hab. Wojciech Niżański, have developed a set of a few simple rules that will protect our four-legged charges against infection.

How do we protect our cats?

Let's follow the announcements of the Chief Veterinary Inspectorate​: - in areas at risk of bird flu, our pets should not leave the house. They are hunters hunting birds - let's not allow that, not just now. The bell on the collar will effectively scare away the potential victim, and it may save our cat's life. If the cat hunts a bird or we find a dead bird in our area - be sure to inform the City Guard or the Police.

During the threat of bird flu, cat food is of great importance, exclude raw poultry meat from their diet and prevent access to garbage. Wash kitchen utensils and hands after contact with raw poultry products with hot water and detergent. Influenza viruses are sensitive to commonly used agents. It is mandatory to wash your hands after coming home, and hide the shoes that cats like to rub against so much.

Avian influenza virus can remain active in the environment for quite a long time (e.g. more than 2 months at +4°C, many months frozen, several weeks in water). Freezing food and items is not an effective way to decontaminate them. So let's follow the above recommendations.

What to do if we suspect our cat is sick?

First of all, let's consider whether our ward went outside or could have had contact with feces or e.g. bird feathers, or whether he ate raw poultry products or could have access to their remains. We know our cat's behavior very well, so if it also becomes lethargic, loses interest in food, has breathing problems, discharge from the eyes, neurological disorders, diarrhea - contact your veterinarian immediately.

Let's not forget about the use of protection measures, well known to us from the time of the pandemic - a mask with a filter and gloves as well as a visor or glasses will effectively protect us. Avian influenza infections from cats have not been reported so far, but cannot be ruled out. It is not clear to what extent the virus is able to spread between different mammalian species (e.g. cats, dogs and humans). Therefore, let's protect ourselves and let the vet know about our suspicions.

You can't always save a cat

In this case, you need to pack the animal's body into a sealed plastic bag and contact your veterinarian immediately. Floors, furniture, window sills, etc. should be washed with water with detergent and dried, and tablecloths, bedspreads, curtains should be washed in an automatic washing machine at a temperature above 50 degrees Celsius (bird flu virus is destroyed) and dried without access to animals. Let's avoid contacts and visits, especially cat owners for 7-8 days. Infection occurs mainly through the respiratory and digestive routes. The incubation time for avian flu is 2-8 days in humans and 3-5 days in birds. If you have been in contact with a cat that shows the above-mentioned symptoms of bird flu and you develop any symptoms of respiratory disease, contact your doctor immediately.

Recommendations of experts of the Polish Academy of Sciences for veterinarians​

https://pan.pl/blog/eksperci-pan-podpowiadaja-jak-dbac-o-koty-w-czasie-ryzyka-zakazen-ptasia-grypa/

 

[tetano]

We received five frozen meat samples and detected high levels of viral RNA in one of them, which was chicken meat that had been purchased fresh for human consumption on 9 June 2023 (Supplementary Materials and Methods). The quantification cycle (Cq) values were as low as 20 for the matrix (M) gene and 25 for the HA gene. Whole genome sequencing of this sample (A/environment/Poland/Kra1/2023) confirmed its high identity with maximum two differences at nucleotide level per segment to the viruses isolated from the cats (GISAID: EPI_ISL_17959737; Figure 2, Supplementary Figure 1, and Supplementary Table 2). The viral sequence obtained from the chicken had the PB2-E627K and PB2-K526R mutations.​

https://www.eurosurveillance.org/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2023.28.31.2300390#html_fulltext

 

[Pathfinder]

Translation Google

Avian Flu: “Infected cats have become ill but have not transmitted the disease to each other.” Mr. Santiago Sánchez-Apellániz, president of the ICOVS, in “Health up to date

Oct 18, 2023 | Media
...

Last Saturday, October 14, 2023, in the “Salud al Día” space on Canal Sur Television, the raising of food-producing animals – such as poultry or rabbits – for self-consumption was discussed, among other issues.

Living with animals entails certain risks and therein lies the importance of health control and epidemiological surveillance of animal diseases, especially those that can be transmitted to humans (zoonoses).

In the case of birds, the focus is on avian flu as it is topical after the infection of several cats in Poland. As mammals are biologically more similar to humans than birds, greater concern has been created as to whether the virus could adapt to people in a more efficient way.

To address the topic with greater rigor, they have had Mr. Santiago Sánchez-Apellániz García, president of the College of Veterinarians of Seville and Head of the Animal Health Department of the Territorial Delegation of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development of Seville, reporting that at this time there are no reasons to activate the alarm.

“The case of cats infected with avian flu, which is the one that has scared people the most, seems to be epidemiologically related to the ingestion of meat contaminated with the avian influenza virus. The animals have become sick but have not transmitted the disease to each other. "It is good news, but it forces us to be attentive to the development of the disease."

You can see the corresponding section starting at minute 09:00, in Health on 10/14/23 .


https://colvetsevilla.es/medios/gripe-aviar/