Emerging viral diseases of Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific

Over the past 6 years, a number of zoonotic and vectorborne viral diseases have emerged in Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific. Vectorborne disease agents discussed in this article include Japanese encephalitis, Barmah For est, Ross River, and Chikungunya viruses. However, most emerging viruses ha ve been zoonotic, with fruit bats, including flying fox species as the prob able wildlife hosts, and these will be discussed as well. The first of thes e disease agents to emerge was Hendra virus, formerly called equine morbill ivirus. This was followed by outbreaks caused by a rabies-related virus, Au stralian bat lyssavirus, and a virus associated with porcine stillbirths an d malformations, Menangle virus. Nipah virus caused an outbreak of fatal pn eumonia in pigs and encephalitis in humans in the Malay Peninsula. Most rec ently, Tioman virus has been isolated from flying foxes, but it has not yet been associated with animal or human disease. Of nonzoonotic viruses, the most important regionally have been enterovirus 71 and HIV.