4. That the laboratory and techniques used for confirmation of an outbreak is recorded in the information system of the OIE (Handistatus II). 5. The presence of serotype C and the occurrence of serotype SAT 3 in some Central, West and East African countries must be confirmed by a reference laboratory and their origin determined. 6. Information on genetic diversity of FMD viruses should be linked to more studies of the epidemiology of the infection in endemic regions to improve predictions on the risk of the spread of FMD viruses. 7. To gain a better understanding of the evolution and spread of FMD more complete genomic sequence data should be generated to identify recombination and mechanisms involved in the emergence of new variants. 8. High volume sequencing capacity should be established in several European laboratories and the latest methods of sequence analysis should be applied to improve our understanding of the evolution of FMD virus and to develop methods for the fine resolution of virus spread. Item 2 - Surveillance: for what purpose and how much is enough? Dr Jordi Serratosa described the new European Food Standards Agency (EFSA) and its anticipated role in animal disease risk assessment and its aim to give independent scientific advice on matters related to food and feed safety (Appendix 28). Discussions highlighted the need for this agency to work with existing bodies and that it should not become a competitor for the EUFMD to avoid conflicting advice to stakeholders. Prof. Prem Kumar Uppal highlighted the potentially underestimated role and importance of small ruminants, particularly in the Middle East and Asia, in FMDV outbreaks and persistence at the population level (Appendix 29). He proposed epidemiological studies to improve our knowledge in this area and the need to include sheep in any surveillance programme. Dr. Marius Gilbert also highlighted the role of small ruminants and illegal movements across borders in the Middle East region and demonstrated the use of GIS systems for combining spatial data to assess risk factors for outbreaks (Appendix 30). Dr. Andres Perez continued with the demonstration of the use of spatial data and the development of new Bayesean techniques for mapping the global risk for FMDV (Appendix 31). Issues of data reliability and ground referencing the data were discussed along with the need for collaboration with national veterinary organisations to improve the data quality. Prof. Mark Thurmond gave an overview of the need and prospect for a global surveillance system and presented the prototype web based portal through which information could be accessed in a real-time global surveillance network (Appendix 32). The need for collaboration was again highlighted. Dr Hassan Wishte2 summarized the implementation of a new geo-referenced database in Iran, and reported that it is now operational for 22 of 28 provinces in Iran (Appendix 33). This system records and reports not only disease outbreaks but also other epidemiologically relevant data. Conclusions 1. Cooperation among national and international bodies on global FMD control and surveillance activities is essential. 2. Methods to validate, summarize, visualize and distribute global FMD surveillance information should be further developed and refined. These approaches, which include modelling and statistical expressions and relations, improve our ability to interpret large amounts of data and to draw clear and reasonably confident conclusions from complex information. 3. The GISVET system facilitates national surveillance of transboundary animal diseases (TADs) in Iran, and should assist understanding of spatial and temporal trends in FMD in this country which may provide insights for wider application. Recommendations 1. The Executive Committee should consider the proposals from EFSA and the UCDavis-FMD Surveillance and Modeling Laboratory about cooperation or partnership in the proposed joint FMD activities.
2
Presentation made later in the programme, but because of relevance is summarised in this section 16
