Vets in Cyprus are crying out to the state to authorise the import of cheap drugs for feline infectious peritonitis (FIP), which is estimated to have killed around 300,000 cats or 30% of the population of strays on the island.
FIP, believed to arise from an immune response to the highly transmissible feline coronavirus (FCoV), is mostly fatal and has grown into an epidemic in Cyprus, affecting both stray and domestic cats, said the president of the Pancyprian Veterinary Association, Demetris Epaminondas.
“Cats carry the common feline coronavirus, however, due to a mutation, they started suffering from FIP, which is fatal but curable and cannot be transmitted to humans,” he explained.
Reported FIP incidents in domestic cats have risen twentyfold in the past two years, he explained, noting that in the first three months of 2023, vets treated 500 suspected cases of FIP, while the number for the whole of 2022 was 219, and 105 in 2021.
The epidemic started in Nicosia and has since spread to Larnaca, Limassol and Famagusta, while currently, there is an outbreak in Paphos, Epaminondas said, adding that the vets association created an advisory committee to evaluate the situation and came up with suggestions.
“The conclusion was that the only way to stop the disease is medical treatment,” he said.
The big obstacle, he explains, is money, as one of the available drugs is extremely expensive. “For a cat weighing around three to four kilos, you need a treatment costing €3,000 to €7,000, to be administered for up to 90 days.”
Due to the high cost, cheaper unlicensed drugs have started circulating in a “flourishing” black market, Epaminondas said.
Glimmer of hope in India-made drugs
The solution could lie in pharmaceuticals used to treat coronavirus-related diseases in humans, which are sold as low as €200.
“Since experimental studies have shown that some human coronavirus drugs can be used to cure the disease, we have looked for cheaper sources. We found these drugs in India which cost €200 to treat a cat between three to four kilos. It is a huge difference in price and could become accessible to the general public,” Epaminondas said.
State rejected pleas
However, an application by the vets association to authorise the drugs was rejected by the Veterinary Medicinal Products department this May, on the grounds that human drugs cannot be imported to be used for veterinary care.
Furthermore, an attempt to get the Health Ministry to provide vets with human coronavirus drugs, which are due to expire, is no solution. “The Ministry sold the drugs to the Veterinary Services. These pharmaceuticals are very expensive, costing €1,000, just for the first phase of treatment,” Epaminondas said.
Vets, volunteers urge President to take “political decisions” to save cats
Since, vets have sent a letter to the President of the Republic and the Minister of Agriculture urging the state to take “political decisions” to authorise the import of cheaper drugs from India, “before it’s too late,” Epaminondas stressed.
On his part, the president of the Cat Protection and Welfare Society (P.A.W.S) Dinos Ayiomammitis said that the state is not doing enough to contain the outbreak. “We have lost around 30% of stray cats across Cyprus. The number is big because the disease is very serious,” he said, noting that the number is based on volunteers’ estimations.
“The current drugs are very expensive and hard to find,” Ayiomammitis concluded, noting that if accessible drugs are acquired, volunteers are willing to assist with their admission to our furry friends.
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