In our August newsletter we told you about how some of the funds we earned through our Pizza for Pachyderms and other events were distributed to aid in the fight against Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpesvirus (EEHV). A portion of those monies were awarded to Dr. Arun Zachariah to further research on the impact of EEHV in wild elephant populations.
AES President, Linda Reifschneider & Dr. Arun Zachariah
Dr. Zachariah sent this note that we wanted to share with you: I would like to thank Asian elephant support for all your sincere support of our research and conservation measures for free-ranging wild Asian elephants. Particularly EEHV in free-ranging Asian elephants. EEHV in wild Asian elephants is growing.
More incidences are reported across the sub-continent. Since our first report in 2009, more than 52 cases were identified with EEHV mortality. Especially disease surveillance in free-ranging wildlife is challenging, where an autopsy is the only option, which is tricky due to the aging of the carcass which hampers the detection of the virus.
Our new effort is to the whole genome sequencing of the virus isolates obtained and correlate to the host immune response.
I am grateful for your contribution of the 2500 USD for our research which may cover a portion of our next-generation sequencing expenses. Your support is invaluable to us and I sincerely hope would help to find out the reason for the emergence and for developing mitigation strategies.
Thanks again,
Sincerely,
Arun
These contributions would not be possible without your support. So whether you ate pizza, painted or donated directly, know that your efforts have allowed researchers to continue their efforts to understand and combat this disease. If you would like to support more efforts like this, visit our website and see all the Ways You Can Help!