Strange virus caused a horse death in Thailand in series cause new pandemic fears

In addition to the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes Covid-19, Thailand has another virus that is spreading rapidly in animals, attacking the host's lungs, causing fever and leading to death within hours.

According to the Asian Times, Thai security forces on April 10 set up checkpoints on highways to stop the carriage of horses across the country, and to control the number of horses infected with the African horse virus virus. (AHS).

The AHS epidemic appears in the context of Thailand being "strained" to deal with Covid-19 and applying strict controls such as blockade or curfew. However, these two viruses are not related to each other. Currently, the world has not recorded cases of AHS virus infection related to humans.

However, Thai officials will have to cope with the new difficulties caused by AHS, one of which involves exporting horses to the European Union, the United States and some other countries around the world.

"The US Department of Agriculture's Animal Health Service is restricting horse imports from Thailand, based on the fact that many horse breeds are infected with the AHS virus in this Southeast Asian country. This decision takes effect immediately. news and will change with new notice, " the US Department of Agriculture announced on March 31.

The new disease is targeting horses, causing Thai officials a headache. (Artwork: Asian Times)

Thai health officials have set up a disease control center and deployed teams to check the number of infected horses, and spray disinfectant in the stables.

A hotline has also been set up so people can notify officials of any illegal horse carriage.

According to the Asian Times, Thailand currently has at least 186 horses that died from the AHS epidemic, of which 162 are in Nakhon Ratchasima province (also known as Korat), northeastern Thailand - which is known as " cowboy region ". International veterinarians usually take a blood sample from a living horse or separate a piece of a spleen from a dead horse to determine if an animal is infected with the AHS virus.

The Bangkok Post reported that Uthen Chatphinyo, owner of a racing horse farm in Korat province, lost 21 of the 160 horses due to the AHS epidemic. Meanwhile, Nopphadon Sarobon, owner of another horse farm, said he also lost 20 horses to be bred for sale. Each one costs from 400,000 to 800,000 baht (300-600 million)

The first horse to die from AHS was recorded in March in Pak Chong district, Korat province, Sorawit Thanito, head of the Thai Livestock Development Department.

Later, more horses died and spread to Prachuap Khirikhan provinces (13 cases), Chonburi (5 cases), Ratchaburi (3 cases), Phetchaburi (2 cases), Chaiyaphum (1 case), Thai News reported. April 6 news.

"This disease has just emerged in Thailand. We have never seen it in the past. Right now, we are investigating how the virus has entered Thailand," Sorawit quoted Reuters as saying.

Thailand was removed from the list of "no AHS" countries by the World Animal Organization on March 27 after Mr. Sorawit announced the 42 horses that died of AHS.

The AHS epidemic can strike horses, donkeys, mules, zebras, camels or dogs , according to the Pirbright Institute - based in the UK. There is no cure or preventive vaccine. Anti-inflammatory medications can only help relieve pain or reduce fever.

"AHS can be transmitted through blood, affecting the lungs, spleen and other lymphatic tissues," said Pirbright Institute researchers.

Symptoms of AHS in animals include fever, swelling around the eyes, lips, cheeks, tongue and neck. (Artwork: Asian Times)

The virus that causes AHS is contagious but not directly through horse-to-horse contact, but rather because the horse's blood-sucking flies are vectors of transmission.

According to scientists at the Pirbright Institute, dogs can also become infected if they ingest infected horse meat.

Most AHS infected animals appear in Africa, but the disease has also been reported in the Middle East, Pakistan, India, Morocco, Spain and Portugal.

"For centuries, AHS was a catastrophic disaster for horse owners. It had a mortality rate of 70%," said the National Institutes of Health (NIH), based in Maryland, USA.

In the 1800s, the AHS virus killed nearly 70,000 horses in 10 years in South Africa. But that's not all. In just four years (1959-1963), AHS killed more than 300,000 horses in the Middle East and southwest Asia, according to the NIH. The outbreak was limited only by a number of experimental vaccines and the number of dead horses was too large.

The virus spread through the bite of insects and animals such as blood-sucking bats that have been outbreaking in Asia for more than 50 years. However, the disease that is devastating horse farms in Thailand has sent another signal to the global health community about the potential risk of wildlife trade.

Statistics show that about 70% of emerging diseases are caused by wildlife diseases.

4 major pandemics are from animals

Climate change, a growing population, consumerism prefer 'strange and strange' things, poverty, conflict and migration are factors in the spread of global health problems today. , a team of scientists who wrote in the Lancet medical journal on May 16, called for a multidisciplinary coalition to study the Covid-19 pandemic.

Zebras transiting in Thailand to China have infected horses reared in Thailand. (Photo: Reuters)

Since the 1980s, four major pandemics have been sweeping the world, including Sars, Ebola, AIDS and Covid-19, all linked to wildlife trade. Other animal-related diseases such as Bluetongue, avian flu, and African swine fever have added costs to health problems.

'A stronger monitoring system for wildlife parts, especially those causing many viruses we can come in contact with, will be very helpful,' said Peter Ben Embarek, security scientist Food safety and animal disease at the World Health Organization (WHO) said.

A Thai government investigation into the origin of the zoonotic disease showed that zebras imported legally from Africa carry the pathogen, but have no symptoms.

They are allowed to transit through Thailand without quarantine. This biosecurity gap was closed last month. A Thai company involved in animal imports since September 2018 has imported and sold zebras to China, according to a statement from Thailand's National Parks Department.

'Nobody thinks that the disease in horses comes from Africa. The first thought is that something comes from within the country, ' said Siraya Chunekamrai, a veterinarian in Bangkok, who was involved in an effort to stop the disease in horses.

Threat from wildlife trade

Horse ranchers in Thailand are now suffering double losses due to Covid-19 and AHS. Now horses are not allowed to be exported from the country for at least 2 years from the date of infection, or a final vaccination.

While zebras are legally imported because of a legal loophole, many countries face the risk of an outbreak because the growing black market for smuggling wildlife products.

The four recent major pandemics have stemmed from wildlife trade. (Photo: AP).

Interpol estimates that the black market for wildlife trade is worth up to $ 20 billion annually. In Myanmar, which shares a border with Thailand, the enforcement of wildlife trade is weak.

That means pangolins, turtles, snakes, bear body parts, birds and ivory can easily be smuggled into China, said Nay Myo Shwe, wildlife trafficking expert at the nature reserve. Chattin wrestling in Mandalay, central Myanmar said.

'That puts us at a very high risk of emerging diseases from wildlife,' said Nay Myo Shwe. He added that wildlife traders, epidemiologists, regulators, and medical and veterinary support groups need to work together to reduce danger.

The dangerous level of the Covid-19 pandemic, thought to originate from bats, has led governments from the US to Australia to increase funding for research on the relationship between animals, humans and the environment. Potential infectious diseases develop before they jump.

'Global biosecurity is a key issue. After an outbreak, it is very expensive, difficult to eradicate and can be spread to other countries, ' said veterinarian Mark Schipp, Australian, president of the World Organization for Animal Health.

'It is important to determine how African horse disease has spread to domestic horses in Thailand as a key to drawing lessons, if there is no profound change in wildlife trade, a major Future outbreaks may occur, ' said veterinarian Schipp.