The Pancyprian Veterinary Association (PVA) has addressed recent media reports on feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) cases in Cyprus, stating that around 8,000 clinical cases were recorded from January to the first half of July 2023. Contrary to media claims of 300,000 cat deaths, the PVA emphasised that such figures were speculative and did not reflect the actual situation.
The PVA clarified that FIP is a condition exclusive to felines and does not transmit to humans. It highlighted a notable surge in cases starting in January 2023, which continued until April of the same year, but since then, there has been a stabilisation trend.
To gather data, the PVA conducted a questionnaire involving 32 veterinary clinics across Cyprus, resulting in the recording of 1,500 clinical cases during the specified period. Extrapolating this data to encompass all veterinary clinics in the country, they estimated the total number of clinical FIP cases to be approximately 8,000 during the mentioned timeframe.
While acknowledging that this figure represented an increase compared to previous years, with around 2,800 cases in 2022 and 1,350 cases in 2021, the PVA maintained that claims of 300,000 cat deaths were not substantiated and were merely speculative.
The PVA urged all parties to exercise caution when making statements that could impact Cyprus’ reputation internationally and to provide solid evidence to support their claims.
The association also expressed optimism in finding additional treatment solutions for the disease through collaborative efforts with the State Veterinary Services and the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development, and Environment.
The situation in Cyprus has raised concerns about the potential spread of the virus to other countries, including Britain, prompting international news outlets such as France24, the Daily Mail and The Telegraph to report on the issue.
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