Visit to Belgium by Joint OIE/Co□mission Group

The visit to the Netherlands was made, together v1i th Dr. I .A. Galloway, Director of tho Virus Research Institute, Pirbright, to study, with Dr. R.S. Frenkel, sorno experiments ·carried out in tho Netherlands on the duration of immunity follovdng tho vaccination of cattle 11i th 11 culturo11 virus vaccine. Systematic vaccination of cattlo in tho Netherlands was begun in February, 1953, a trivalent culture virus vaccine, produced .;d th viruses typos O, A and C being usocl. In tho Netherlands all cattle aro vaccinated and annual rovaccination is carried out g thus, there arc ca ttlo in the country ·.--rhich have boon vaccinated from one to four timos. During 1954-56 vaccinated cattle have bocn tostod for immunity and thoro is 0, considorablo numbor concerning v1hich data aro available. Tho rosul ts of the challenge experiments showed that tho cattle possessed a satisfactory dcgroo of immunity up to ono year aft or vaccination with, of course, n clocroaso of immunity towards tho ond of that period.

Ono of tho visits to Franco was, in addition to attending and participating in tho annual meeting of tho OIE, to visit a private veterinary institute in Tours in order to obtain detailed inforr.iation on tho production of foot-and-mouth disease viruses for vaccine production. Tho method used in this institute consists in the simultaneous production of foot-and-mouth virus and vaccinia virus on tho skin of adult cattle.

In July and August 1956 9 Dr. Fogedby worked Danish Veterinary Institute for Virus Research. for eight wooks Ho devoted this at tho time mainly to work on problems of immunity to foot-and-mouth disease and tho typing of viruses.

In Soptombor 1956, by special invitation, Dr, Fogedby attondod tho official dedication of the new Animal Disease Laboratory, Plum Island, United States of America and also took part in a symposiur.i on vesicular disoasos of livestock, Tho major emphasis of tho future research at this lc:boratory i,-1ill bo on foot-and-mouth disoaso: other vosi-cula-r typos of diseaso, o. g, vesicular stotJ.ati tis and vosicular exanthoma ·.-rill also be studied. Ho also visited other laboratories in tho country for discussions on different virus problems.

Viait to Bolgiuo by Joint OIE[Coo11ission Group At tho mooting of tho Ex:ocutivo Committoo in Soptombor 1956, Prof. Fluckigor roforrod to tho nood for more onorgotic action in tho control of foot-and-mouth disoaso in some European countries with special roforonco to tho slau[shtor of infoctod animals and a vaccination schomo. Ho oxprossed his willingness to participate to tho fullest oxtont in any action -to induce countries liko B elgium and Franco to improve tho position. His suggo3tion was that Dr. Fogodby, rep:::,osonting tho Commission, and ho, representing the OIE, Ghould toeothor visit tho:30 countri os and discuc1s tho subject v.ri th th0 veterinary authori ti cs, senior govornmont of.ficials and, whore nocossary 1 v.rith Ministers, The Executive Committee agroud to this suggestion, with tho inclusion of another membor of tho CommiGsion 1 s Standing Technical Committee, Dr. van den Born, in tho visiting group. The Government of Belgium expressed

its willingness to receive the group and suggested that :Dr. G. Ramon, Director, OIE, should join the group. Unfortunat0ly, after full arrangements had been completed for tho visit, neither Prof. Fluckiger nor Dr. Ramon found it possible to make the visit.

The representatives of tho Commission were warmly received by the Minister of Agriculture and the veterinary officials. The Minister summarized tho foot-and-mouth disease position in Belgium and expressed his confidence, shared by practicnlly every Belgian farmer, in vac,cinat±on as a means to control tho disoo.se. For the tir;ie being, a slaughter policy could not be introduced in Belgium. It ua.s, however, evident that the number of outbreaks of foot-and-mouth diseas0 was closely collated to tho extent of vaccination and; thorcforo, as much vaccination as possible is being encouraged throughout tho country.

Proposal to amend the Constitution of tho C ommission

At tho Second Session of the Commission, the observer from Portugal statcxl that his govornmont intended to become a Member of ·tho Commission, but that his government strongly felt that the annual contribution for Portugal fixod in tho Cons ti tut ion was excossi ve ancl suggested that it should be halved.

In 1955, Portugal became a Hor.:ibor of tho Commission. In a lotter of 23 Novombor 1956, tho Portuguese Govornmcmt informed tho Chairman of tho Cor.iuission and the Diroctor-Goneral of the Food and Agriculture Organization that tho Portuguese roprosontativo had boon instructed to propose at tho next session of tho .Commission that th0 Portugu·eso· contribution b0 roducod to �n50 per annum and asked that this subject be included in tho Agenda. In accordanco with Article XIV of tho Constitution of tho Commission, tho Diroctor-Gcmoral of tho Organization informed all Members of tho Commj_ssion 11bout this request for an amondment of tho Constitution and that an appropriate i tom would: bo incJ.uilod �n the Agenda for tho forthcoming session of tho Commission.

Tho Commission ondorsed this report.

In tho course of tho discuasion, th'? Secretariat reported that it was hoped to finalize at an early dato tho arrangements that the Virus Research Ins ti tuto� Pirbright, Uni tod Kingdom, would be the C antral Roforonco Laboratory' for foot-and-nouth disoaso and that unclor FAO arrangements it was intended also to use this institute as a World Roforonce Laboratory.

In connection with tho duration of j,mmunity oxporiments, tho Conmission decided strongly to support tho carrying 01-1-t of thC largo exporiraont which was agreed w:i.th tho joint OIE/Comrllission group in Paris. It should !i1ak.e this known to OE.EC and invite financial support for this experiment and to a lessor extent for tho smaller cxporimcnt proposed to for and tho bo done in Belgium. value of this major Furthor9 in order oxporimont, it was to explain docidoa to tho need tak.o advantage of tho offer of FAO to ask Sir Thomas Dalling to attend tho mooting of tho Ministers' Doputios of OEEC.