Oh noooo...
Fears feline coronavirus might be on the way after 300,000 cats die in Cyprus
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Stray and domestic cats have been killed by feline infectious peritonitis (FIP), a coronavirus strain, since January. Experts have warned that “many cats” could die if the virus circulating in Cyprus makes its way to western Europe.
The country, sometimes called the “island of cats”, is home to the earliest evidence of the animal’s domestication. But there is mounting unease about the threat posed by the virus, which does not infect humans, but is mostly fatal if left untreated in felines.
“Local veterinarians have been reporting an alarming increase in FIP cases, which started in the capital city of Nicosia in January and spread throughout the whole island within three to four months,” said Dr Demetris Epaminondas, vice-president of the Pancyprian Veterinary Association.
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Professor Danielle Gunn-Moore, a specialist in feline medicine at the University of Edinburgh, told the Telegraph that an outbreak of this size “has never been seen in living or documented history”, with reports of dead cats in the streets and suspicions this could be a new, deadlier strain of FIP.
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Dr Epaminondas said the “only way to stop the disease is medical treatment”, but this too has proved difficult. Experts want to start using two treatments on the cats, but bureaucratic hurdles and cost have so far hampered progress.
The drugs are remdesivir, used for Covid-19, and the closely related GS-441524.
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A feline coronavirus risks turning Cyprus into an “island of dead cats”, experts have warned after as many as 300,000 died in an outbreak.
m.independent.ie