Point 7. Progress reports on FMD control projects in the region

ITEM 7. PROGRESS REPORTS ON FMD CONTROL PROJECTS IN THE REGION

FMD control in Turkey Dr Bulut, Turkey, provided a progress report (Appendix 11) on the Turkish FMD control programme, including the implementation of actions supported by the EC under EuropeAid TR 06 03 02. He presented data indicating an overall much reduced incidence of FMD in 2008 with a switch from type O back to type A, and a small upsurge in monthly type A outbreaks in 2008 compared to 2007. Sequence analysis revealed that several sublineages of the A Iran 05 were circulating in 2008, and antigenic analysis indicated that the A22 Iraq vaccine provided only a poor reaction to some (r1 0.2), which is of concern and may in part explain the recent upsurge. A limiting factor in 2008 was the amount of FMD vaccine, which was insufficient to enable the planned single vaccination of the entire national sheep flock; a limited programme had been implemented in sheep, involving a belt of Provinces from east to west. Thrace region had received, as previous years, full cattle and sheep vaccination in spring. The FMD situation in 2008 had been quiet compared to the previous two years, with no surge in cases after the kurban-bayram festival, instead a gradual rise in FMD cases. This may have been the impact of improved vaccination in 2007 and control measures at the time of the festival (recommended at the 75th Session), but in discussion, it could not be ruled out that natural immunity to types O and A after two nationwide epidemics may have limited the chance for a major epidemic in early 2008. Dr Sumption presented the conclusions and recommendations (Appendix 12) of the workshop held in March 2008 in Ankara (EuFMD/EC/GDPC) to review lessons learnt from the past 15 months of cooperative activities to improve surveillance. The aim of the workshop was to provide recommendations that would assist Turkey to mplement more successfully i and manage FMD control during the EuropeAid project period in 2008-2010. The workshop had concluded that trade in young animals (<12 months) was of the highest significance for movement of FMD at local and national scale, and that in eastern Turkey, infection was frequent in this age category. This suggests but not proves that successful immunization of the age class would greatly reduce risk of transmission at local and national scale. The WS considered that allowing only recently vaccinated animals to move was highly important, and could create a powerful incentive to vaccination but only if the animal ID system performance allowed rapid entry and checking of animal vaccination data (Turkvet system). In summary, the meeting participants had a low confidence that FMD control would significantly improve over the next 3 years, because of the need for progress on a range of issues that affect the ability to regulate animal movement and deliver services when required. The WS made practical recommendations on the monitoring of the programme by the project Steering Committee and for a national FMD epidemiology unit to be set up between GDPC and SAP Institute to provide the data and analyses required by the Committee. The Committee discussed the reports in depth. The increased delivery of vaccination in cattle was noted but concern was expressed on lack of use of booster vaccination in calves, in light of the findings of the outbreak investigations. The value was questioned of dispersing large quantities of vaccine amongst a low proportion of sheep flocks. The movement control issue was discussed, with emphasis on achieving an effective system for pre-movement checks on animal vaccination. The scale of changes required was noted, but concern was expressed that the large budget for the FMD control did not appear to be balanced with management support to achieve the changes required to deliver effective use of the vaccine, especially if vaccine supply remained insufficient. In addition, the chairman again expressed concern on the lack of incentives for small farmers and private veterinarians to actively cooperate in the vaccination campaigns and FMD control after an outbreak. This problem needs to be addressed as it is a sine qua non for future success. Conclusions

1. The upsurge in type A outbreaks in 2008, compared to 2007, is a cause for concern and requires a thorough assessment and explanation, including a re-assessment of vaccine match suitability for the current epidemic virus. Recommendations

These are combined with those of the international risk Item and found at the end of the report.

76th Session of the Executive Committee of the European Commission for the Control of Foot-and-Mouth Disease 3