Culling completed at Wisconsin farm where CWD-positive deer found

Animal health officials in Wisconsin announced yesterday that they have completed depopulation of a white-tail deer herd at a Burnett County breeding farm where chronic wasting disease (CWD) was found in a buck in October 2020.

In a statement, the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection (DATCP) said none of the remaining 14 deer tested positive for the disease. The 5-acre farm was quarantined after the 2020 detection in a 4-year-old buck, and no live animals or carcasses were allowed to leave the property.

The farm owner will received indemnity though a federal program, and the facility will not be permitted to keep cervids for 5 years, during which fences must be maintained, along with routine inspections. Burnett County is in western Wisconsin, on the Minnesota border.

CWD is a fatal prion disease that affects deer, elk, reindeer, and moose, and has affected 26 US states and three Canadian provinces. No cases have yet been reported in people.
Mar 18 DATCP statement

Groups urge Congress to boost funding for AMR, antibiotic development

A coalition of more than 50 organizations is calling on Congress to boost US investments in efforts to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and develop new antibiotics.

In a letter sent yesterday to members of the House of Representatives and the Senate, organizations representing public health professionals, clinicians, scientists, patients, pharmaceutical and diagnostics companies, and animal agriculture experts called for increased funding in Fiscal Year 2022 for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s efforts to address AMR, including $672 million for the Antibiotic Resistance Solutions Initiative, $100 million for the National Healthcare Safety Network, and $60 million for the Advanced Molecular Detection program.

The letters also recommend increased FY 2022 funding for AMR research at the National Institutes of Health, the Combating Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria program at the Food and Drug Administration, the Broad Spectrum Antimicrobials program at the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, and AMR research and initiatives within the US Department of Agriculture, Department of Defense, and Department of State.

“Addressing AMR is central to strengthening our preparedness for future public health emergencies, as patients with respiratory infections, serious wounds or burns, or other conditions requiring hospitalization are all at risk for secondary resistant infections,” the groups wrote. “A deeper federal investment commensurate with the gravity and importance of AMR is urgently needed.”
Mar 18 coalition letter

Global survey shows countries making strides in efforts to address AMR

The latest global survey conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, and the World Organization for Animal Health indicates countries are making progress on efforts to address AMR, but much work remains.

The annual Tripartite AMR country self-assessment survey, released today, shows that, compared with previous years, the number of countries that have reached nationwide implementation on several indicators has risen. Increases were observed in the number of countries with developed national action plans, countries with functional multisectoral working groups on AMR, and countries that have implemented nationwide infection prevention and control programs aligned with WHO guidelines.

A total of 136 of 194 WHO member states responded to the survey. Response rates were 11.8% lower this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Analysis of data from 115 countries that have responded to the survey over the past 3 years also showed increases in the percentage of countries with nationwide AMR awareness programs and a rising number of countries that are conducting national monitoring of antibiotic consumption and surveillance activities for resistance.

Data analysis also found, however, that fewer than 50% of countries have government-funded AMR awareness campaigns, and that much of the progress is occurring in higher-income countries. While the number of countries with national monitoring systems for antibiotic consumption has increased, they account for just 54% of respondents.

“Addressing AMR solely in higher-income countries will not be enough to reduce the burden of AMR globally, especially since lower-income countries might bear the brunt of the economic and health consequences of unchecked AMR,” the authors of the analysis wrote.
Mar 19 Tripartite AMR survey

More vaccine-derived polio cases reported in 3 countries

Three countries reported more polio cases over the past week, all involving circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2), according to the latest update from the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI)

In the Middle East, Afghanistan reported 1 case, involving a patient from Kandahar, raising the 2021 total to 18.

Meanwhile, two African nations reported new cases. South Sudan reported 4 cVDPV2 cases in three states: Unity, Warrap, and Lakes. The country has now reported 51 such cases, all linked to Chad’s ongoing outbreak. Also, Nigeria reported 3 cases, 2 in Sokoto state and 1 in Kebbei, marking the country’s first cases of 2021, after reporting 8 such cases in 2020.
Mar 18 GPEI weekly update