WOAH Calls for Stronger Surveillance and Coordination to Prevent zoonotic Spillover in Asia

A recent risk analysis by the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) highlights critical gaps in surveillance and coordination across Asia, increasing the risk of zoonotic disease spillover events. the analysis, published August 11, 2025, underscores the need for a unified, “One Health” approach to pandemic preparedness.

The report identifies several key diseases of concern in wildlife populations, including African swine fever (ASF), classical swine fever (CSF), and rabies. However, effective response is hampered by notable barriers. Informal communication remains the primary method of intersectoral exchange, while the analysis pinpointed insufficient financial and human resources, a lack of national information systems for wildlife diseases, and the absence of legal frameworks and formal mechanisms for data sharing as the top obstacles to effective response.These deficiencies create structural weaknesses in connecting animal health services, environmental agencies, and public health authorities.A recurring theme from stakeholder workshops was a shortage of trained professionals equipped to conduct comprehensive wildlife disease investigations – encompassing field sampling, diagnostics, and data analysis. This skills gap not only delays national response times but also weakens collaborative efforts to prevent zoonotic transmission across borders.

Despite these challenges, the workshops revealed a strong willingness among stakeholders to improve collaboration. Participants proposed several concrete steps forward,including the progress of standard operating protocols for joint investigation of wildlife outbreaks,regular multisectoral simulation exercises,expanded involvement of local communities and non-conventional stakeholders,the implementation of digital tools to streamline data sharing and reporting,and the establishment of targeted training programs to enhance national and subnational expertise.

The report emphasizes that strengthening surveillance and reporting in wildlife populations is not merely a veterinary or environmental concern, but a national security imperative.Investing in multisectoral coordination is crucial to protecting citizens from emerging infectious diseases and safeguarding trade, travel, and economic stability.

WOAH stresses that pandemic preparedness cannot be compartmentalized, as disease threats disregard boundaries – geographic, disciplinary, and bureaucratic. The findings serve as a timely reminder that proactive investment in surveillance and coordination is essential to reducing the risk of another pandemic originating from wildlife reservoirs.

Monkeypox Virus Uses Protein to Evade Immune System

New research reveals how MPXV subverts early defenses, suggesting novel therapeutic targets.

A newly published study uncovers the mechanism by which monkeypox virus (MPXV) sidesteps the body’s initial immune responses. This breakthrough offers possibilities for creating innovative treatments and more potent vaccines against the virus and its relatives.

Key Discovery: OPG147’s Role

Researchers at Wuhan University and the Wuhan Institute of Virology found that the viral protein OPG147 is crucial in preventing immune detection during the early stages of infection. While OPG147 facilitates cell entry for poxviruses, the study demonstrates its secondary function: deactivating the host’s immune alarm.

This research illuminates how MPXV and related poxviruses, including vaccinia virus (VACV) used in smallpox vaccines, avoid triggering a robust antiviral response.

The illness caused by monkeypox virus is now designated mpox, a change implemented by the World Health Organization in 2022 to lessen stigma and enhance public communication. Although mpox is the name of the disease, monkeypox virus (MPXV) remains the scientific nomenclature.

MITA/STING Pathway: The Body’s Alarm System

Innate immunity relies on the MITA/STING pathway to detect infections before symptoms arise. When a virus infects a cell and releases DNA, the cGAS sensor identifies the foreign material. It then produces a molecule activating MITA (also known as STING), which triggers a chain reaction producing interferons and antiviral proteins to control the infection.

MITA/STING serves as the body’s built-in alarm system for DNA viruses. Without it, the immune system might not respond quickly enough to halt the spread of the virus. According to the WHO, as of May 2024, over 97,000 cases of mpox have been confirmed globally (WHO).

How OPG147 Silences the Alarm

The study reveals that OPG147 from monkeypox virus, along with similar proteins in other poxviruses, can directly interfere with MITA/STING. Instead of blocking initial detection, OPG147 quietly disrupts the necessary steps for MITA/STING to activate a full immune response. OPG147 hinders ISGylation, a chemical process essential for MITA activation. It also impedes MITA from forming necessary structures for sending immune signals and traps MITA within the cell’s endoplasmic reticulum, preventing it from raising the alarm.

By interfering with these processes, OPG147 enables the virus to establish an infection without immediately alerting the immune system.

Weakening the Virus’s Armor

To assess the importance of OPG147, researchers created a mutated version of vaccinia virus where OPG147 could no longer interact with MITA. The altered virus triggered stronger immune responses in human cells and mice, produced lower virus levels in the body, and caused milder disease with less tissue damage.

Crucially, the mutation did not impair the virus’s ability to replicate, indicating that it specifically weakened the virus’s capacity to evade immunity—not its basic life cycle. These findings highlight OPG147 as a key virulence factor, essential for the virus to cause disease.

Implications for Public Health

Although mpox is no longer rare, it remains a public health and global security concern, especially for immunocompromised individuals and regions with limited access to vaccines and treatments. Orthopoxviruses also remain a concern for potential biosecurity threats.

This research identifies OPG147 as a potential target for antiviral drugs or for developing safer, more effective vaccines. For public health agencies and global health security planners, this study offers valuable insights into how poxviruses evade immune detection.

New Avenues for Vaccine and Antiviral Strategies

OPG147’s uniqueness lies in its distinct mechanism from other known poxvirus immune blockers. Unlike viral proteins that destroy immune response signaling molecules, OPG147 directly jams the signaling machinery, delaying immune detection.

This sophisticated evasion strategy highlights the potential of combining treatments that target multiple viral evasion proteins for stronger protection.

Zoonotic Threats

WOAH Report: Asia’s Wildlife Spillover Risk & Pandemic Preparedness