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Appendix 9
from 76th Session of the Executive Committee of the European Commission for the Control of Foot-and-Mouth
by EuFMD
Appendix 9
76TH SESSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION FOR THE CONTROL OF FOOT-AND-MOUTH DISEASE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
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SHORT PROGRESS REPORT ON FOOT AND MOUTH DISEASE (FMD) SURVEILLANCE NETWORKS IN AFRICA
FMD is one of the priority/indicator diseases of the GF-TADs Initiative2. As stated in the General Agreement dated May 2004, the Initiative is expected to prevent and control FMD through (i) an improved early warning system, by a better knowledge and circulation of information, (ii) a strategic use of quality vaccines, (iii) improved laboratory diagnostics, with technology transfer and quality control, (iv) guidance ensuring adequate collaboration and coordination across countries, and (v) the design of control strategies (SOPs). During the First Global Steering Committee of the GF-TADs (SC1, FAO HQ, Rome, March 6 2008), it was agreed upon to include, as part of the first 5-year GF-TADs Global Action Plan, a global initiative to combat FMD worldwide (see SC1 Recommendation, point 11). A tentative roadmap indicates that this FMD initiative and its associated global strategy will be discussed during the Paraguay International conference on FMD scheduled early 2009, jointly organized by FAO and OIE. A fund-raising to ensure the GF-TADs global Action Plan – including the FMD initiative – implementation is expected to take place in 2009. Once elaborated and endorsed, the FMD global Strategy will need to be broken down at the regional level, to accommodate and take into consideration the specificities of the 5 regions where FMD is enzootic. This will be put in place by the GF-TADs regional branches, with the overall coordination of the GF-TADs global governance. As for Africa, the GF-TADs for Africa has recommended during its last Steering Committee (SC) meeting (SC3, FAO HQ, Rome, April 7) that (i) the regional SC prepare a regional strategy based on the Global Strategy once elaborated, (ii) due to the high need of quality information and experience sharing in the combat against the disease, African sub-regional networks for FMD be established, in close link with the Regional Animal Health Centres (RAHCs) as well as the newly established networks of laboratories (also in link with the FAO / OIE FMD reference laboratories), of epidemiosurveillance and of socio-economics. This is stated in the SC3 Recommendation, point 21: ‘The global FMD control strategy (to be endorsed by the Paraguay conference in 2009) be broken down in strategies at regional level; that GF-TADs regional networks for FMD – in association with the RAHCs – be established in west, central, east and southern Africa to improve access to quality information and reference laboratories services, in line with the global and regional strategies, and with the support of the FAO and OIE’. Since the GF-TADs for Africa is the animal health part of ALive3, all GF-TADs for Africa recommendations become executive as resolutions of ALive. The SC3 Recommendation was officially endorsed during the 11th ALive Executive Committee, as stated in the EC11 Resolution, point 23.
2 GF-TADs = Global Framework for the Progressive Control of Transboundary Animal Diseases. It is a joint FAO / OIE mechanism which combines the strengths and exploits the synergies of both organizations to prevent and control TADs. 3 Alive = African Livestock Partnership (see http://www.alive-online.org)
76th Session of the Executive Committee of the European Commission for the Control of Foot-and-Mouth Disease
