The Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) aims to achieve the vision of a world safe and secure from global health threats posed by infectious diseases through advancing a multi-sectoral approach. ...Thailand played a prominent role as the Chair of the GHSA Steering Group in 2021, guided by the Chair's Declaration approved by the Cabinet of Thailand in 2020. In 2021, country efforts were needed to attain the right balance between preparing for future pandemics while responding to COVID-19. This paper details actions and achievements with respect to preparedness and enhancing country's capacities recommended by the GHSA 2021, which include, among others, garnering high-level support, developing, utilisation of global health security tools, and advocating for sustainable financing. With the continued coordination and collaboration of the Action Packages and translating the Strategic Communications Plan into operation, the GHSA
2024
Target (of measured improvement of health security capacities according to the relevant health security assessments in more than 100 countries) is expected to be achieved by 2024. The unique roles and contributions of the diverse multi-sectoral partners are needed to bridge the gaps and better prepare the world to cope for future pandemics. GHSA not only promotes global preparedness and response, but also complements national preparedness and response. With Thailand's experience, the GHSA mechanism has been continuously supporting GHSA subnational level activities in border areas. The main outcome of these discussions was the sub-national strategic plan with a multi-sectoral approach to detection, preparation and response.
1. Public health emergencies highlight the importance of multisector cooperation beyond just the health sector. The Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) is a global platform that connects different sectors beyond health sectors to enhance health security.
2. Garnering high-level support is necessary to drive forth the GHSA to improve country health securitycapacities. Leadership should be engaged early and often to support resource mobilization and planning & accelerating of implementation activities.
3. As the 2021 GHSA Steering Group Chair, Thailand utilised the GHSA mechanism and efforts to soliciting/facilitating health security efforts at global, regional, and national levels despite the challenges faced during the COVID-19 pandemic.
4. Collaboration &coordination across sectors, strong leadership, and firmed commitments will continue to be important for the GHSA mechanism and the global health security architecture.
Thailand's Central Plain is identified as a contact zone between pigs and flying foxes, representing a potential zoonotic risk. Nipah virus (NiV) has been reported in flying foxes in Thailand, but it ...has never been found in pigs or humans. An assessment of the suitability of NiV transmission at the spatial and farm level would be useful for disease surveillance and prevention. Multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA), a knowledge-driven model, was used to map contact zones between local epizootic risk factors as well as to quantify the suitability of NiV transmission at the pixel and farm level.
Spatial risk factors of NiV transmission in pigs were identified by experts as being of three types, including i) natural host factors (bat preferred areas and distance to the nearest bat colony), ii) intermediate host factors (pig population density), and iii) environmental factors (distance to the nearest forest, distance to the nearest orchard, distance to the nearest water body, and human population density). The resulting high suitable areas were concentrated around the bat colonies in three provinces in the East of Thailand, including Chacheongsao, Chonburi, and Nakhonnayok. The suitability of NiV transmission in pig farms in the study area was quantified as ranging from very low to medium suitability.
We believe that risk-based surveillance in the identified priority areas may increase the chances of finding out NiV and other bat-borne pathogens and thereby optimize the allocation of financial resources for disease surveillance. In the long run, improvements of biosecurity in those priority areas may also contribute to preventing the spread of potential emergence of NiV and other bat-borne pathogens.
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Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
During the second outbreak of avian influenza H5N1 in Thailand, probable horizontal transmission among tigers was demonstrated in the tiger zoo. Sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of those viruses ...showed no differences from the first isolate obtained in January 2004. This finding has implications for influenza virus epidemiology and pathogenicity in mammals.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, ODKLJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Abstract
Background
Nipah virus (NiV) infection causes encephalitis and has > 75% mortality rate, making it a WHO priority pathogen due to its pandemic potential. There have been NiV outbreak(s) in ...Malaysia, India, Bangladesh, and southern Philippines. NiV naturally circulates among fruit bats of the genus
Pteropus
and has been detected widely across Southeast and South Asia. Both Malaysian and Bangladeshi NiV strains have been found in fruit bats in Thailand. This study summarizes 20 years of pre-emptive One Health surveillance of NiV in Thailand, including triangulated surveillance of bats, and humans and pigs in the vicinity of roosts inhabited by NiV-infected bats.
Methods
Samples were collected periodically and tested for NiV from bats, pigs and healthy human volunteers from Wat Luang village, Chonburi province, home to the biggest
P. lylei
roosts in Thailand, and other provinces since 2001. Archived cerebrospinal fluid specimens from encephalitis patients between 2001 and 2012 were also tested for NiV. NiV RNA was detected using nested reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). NiV antibodies were detected using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay or multiplex microsphere immunoassay.
Results
NiV RNA (mainly Bangladesh strain) was detected every year in fruit bats by RT-PCR from 2002 to 2020. The whole genome sequence of NiV directly sequenced from bat urine in 2017 shared 99.17% identity to NiV from a Bangladeshi patient in 2004. No NiV-specific IgG antibodies or RNA have been found in healthy volunteers, encephalitis patients, or pigs to date. During the sample collection trips, 100 community members were trained on how to live safely with bats.
Conclusions
High identity shared between the NiV genome from Thai bats and the Bangladeshi patient highlights the outbreak potential of NiV in Thailand. Results from NiV cross-sectoral surveillance were conveyed to national authorities and villagers which led to preventive control measures, increased surveillance of pigs and humans in vicinity of known NiV-infected roosts, and increased vigilance and reduced risk behaviors at the community level. This proactive One Health approach to NiV surveillance is a success story; that increased collaboration between the human, animal, and wildlife sectors is imperative to staying ahead of a zoonotic disease outbreak.
In Thailand, where vaccination is routinely employed, there has been an increased incidence of chronic classical swine fever (CSF) outbreaks during the past decade. The major causative virus has been ...identified to be the moderate virulence, classical swine fever virus (CSFV) of the genogroup 2.2. An investigation was made into the efficacy of a CSF vaccine against this genogroup 2.2 challenge. Five-week-old pigs, grouped by their level of passive antibody titer were immunized with lapinized Chinese-strain CSF vaccine and challenged with CSFV genogroup 2.2, 13 days after vaccination. The group containing passive titers of lower than 64 at the time of immunization, had significantly higher number of CSFV-specific IFN-γ secreting cells and was completely protected against the challenge. Interestingly, both cellular and antibody responses were inhibited in the pigs with the higher passive titer. Furthermore, following challenge, CSFV could be isolated from 50% of the pigs in this group. It was demonstrated that the CSF vaccine could induce complete protection in pigs, provided that the maternal derived titer at the time of vaccination was lower than 64. The result implied that an increase in CSFV outbreaks might be due to the inappropriate timing of vaccination as well as the nature of the CSFV genogroup 2.2.
Background Recent studies have revealed the existence of genetic diversity in swine influenza viruses (SIVs) in the world. In Thailand, there has been a little information on the molecular ...characteristics of the SIVs since the first isolation of viruses of H1N1 and H3N2 subtypes in the late 1970s. Our previous study demonstrated that Thai H1N1 SIVs possessed the classical swine H1 and avian‐like swine N1 genes (Takemae et al., Proceedings of the Options for the Control of Influenza VI.2007;350–353).
Objectives In the present study, we genetically characterized 12 SIVs including those of H1N1, H1N2 and H3N2 subtypes isolated between 2000 and 2005.
Methods We determined the entire nucleotide sequences of the eight gene segments of those isolates.
Results Phylogenetic analysis revealed the existence of nine distinct genotypes amongst the Thai SIVs. These genotypes arose from multiple introductions of classical swine, avian‐like swine and human viruses. The existence of two distinct sublineages within classical swine H1 and NS, avian‐like swine PA and M and human H3 and N2 genes of the Thai SIVs suggested that introduction of viruses of classical swine, avian‐like swine and human origins occurred twice respectively into the Thai pig population. The predominance of avian‐like swine genes amongst the Thai SIVs was evident. In particular, three polymerase (PB1, PB2 and PA) and matrix genes of avian‐like swine origin were retained in all the Thai SIVs examined.
Conclusions These observations may suggest that genes of avian‐like swine lineages have some advantages to be maintained in pigs as seen in the SIVs established through multiple introductions in other regions.
Diagnosis of rabies relies on the fluorescent antibody test (FAT) from brain impression smears. The mouse brain inoculation test is used to confirm FAT but requires weeks until the result is known. ...TaqMan real-time PCR has been described for rabies viral RNA detection; however, this is burdened by primer and probe binding site mismatches. The purpose of this study was to develop a TaqMan real-time RT-PCR assay as an adjunct to FAT, based on national data of 239 rabies nucleoprotein sequences from rabies-infected brain specimens collected between 1998 and 2003. Two showed as many as 3 mismatches. However, mismatches on primer and/or probe binding sites did not affect amplification or detection. One hundred and forty-three brain samples submitted for rabies diagnosis from all over the country between 2005 and 2007 were also tested. Results were concordant with FAT. Thirteen rabies proven samples from Myanmar, Cambodia, Indonesia and India; 3 of which had up to 7 mismatches at primer/probe binding sites, could be detectable. Challenge Virus Standard, a fixed virus strain with 4 mismatches at probe binding site, could not be detected but remained amplified. This assay could be used as an adjunct to FAT and may serve as a rabies surveillance tool.
Prevention of a possible avian influenza pandemic necessitates the development of rapid diagnostic tests and the eventual production of a vaccine.
For vaccine production, hemagglutinin (HA1) from ...avian influenza H5N1 was expressed from a recombinant baculovirus. Recombinant HA1 was expressed in monolayer or suspension culture insect cells by infection with the recombinant baculovirus. The yield of rHA1 from the suspension culture was 68 mg/l, compared to 6 mg/l from the monolayer culture. Immunization of guinea pigs with 50 microg of rHA1 yielded hemagglutinin inhibition and virus neutralization titers of 1:160 after two times vaccination with rHA1 protein.
Thus, the production of rHA1 using an insect suspension cell system provides a promising basis for economical production of a H5 antigen.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
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