FIP Cyprus Outbreak: The Experts Share Insights
FIP Cyprus Outbreak: The Experts Share Insights
On June 10, 2023, veterinary researchers posted an ALERT to the British Veterinary Association publication VET RECORD: Cyprus FIP outbreak is ‘very alarming’
The outbreak began in January 2023 in the capital city of Nicosia, with increasing numbers of cases reported in the districts of Larnaca, Limassol and Famagousta. “Within 12 weeks the number of PCR-confirmed FIP cases increased more than 20-fold compared to the previous year,” says the Vet Record report.
An outbreak of FIP (feline infectious peritonitis) means devastating disease and usually death to companion cats as well as feral or community cats. Testing complicates matters—there is no single definitive test—and only recently have effective anti-viral treatments become available. But these treatments take up to 12 weeks, costs a lot, and the drugs are not FDA approved for veterinary use, and therefore difficult to get.
While Cyprus seems a world away to those of us in the United States, we know from recent experience that diseases may rapidly spread. The news led to media inquiries resulting in scary, confusing, and even contradictory reports in the press. So I reached out to the vets on the ground and experts who know--and here's what they had to say.
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