There has been a scarcity of literature in the fields of Early Warning and Early Reaction of transboundary animal diseases. FAO EMPRES wishes to contribute to filling this gap, and invited top international professionals with prime experience in the respective fields to collaborate in the preparation of a series of reference manuals. The target groups are planners, managers, coordinators and technical staff in the field of animal disease surveillance and control. We are pleased to announce that the first three results of this effort are now available:
Animal disease emergency preparedness measures are plans drawn up in advance to ensure that capabilities and mechanisms are in place for rapid and effective response to animal disease emergencies when they occur. Prevention of transboundary animal epidemics depends on the development of early warning systems that enable early detection of a disease before it can spread, as well as rapid reaction capability to contain the disease at its source.
This manual provides valuable information on the principles and coordination of animal disease emergency preparedness planning, organization of veterinary services during animal disease emergencies, early warning and early reaction contingency planning strategies, and guidelines for the preparation of support and disease-specific contingency plans.
Essentially generic in concept, the manual provides guidelines for the preparation of national animal disease emergency plans, to which modifications can be made, as required, to suit the material and human resources, individual requirements and prevailing conditions of each country.
This manual provides information on the nature of rinderpest, the principles and strategic options for the control and elimination of rinderpest in the event of reintroduction into a disease- and infection-free zone or country. It provides guidelines for individual countries to formulate their overall national policy on rinderpest control and eradication. The manual identifies personnel as well as equipment and other facilities that are needed in a national rinderpest contingency plan. An outline of the suggested format and content of a national rinderpest contingency plan is also provided as a guide and should be modified to suit the needs of and circumstances that exist in individual countries. Due consideration has been given to the provisions in the OIE International Animal Health Code in the preparation of the manual. It is suggested that this manual, which is based on the format of the Australian Veterinary Emergency Plan (AUSVETPLAN) with some modifications, should be used together with the Manual on the preparation of national animal disease emergency preparedness plans, FAO, Rome, 1999 (described above).
Surveillance for diseases is the key to early detection and, hence, early warning of a change in the health status of any livestock population. It is also essential to prove the absence of disease or to determine the extent of a disease that is known to be present. All of this information is essential for disease management. The purpose of this manual is to describe how surveillance systems are assembled and managed; it also provides guidelines on how to manage the flow of information from surveillance systems. It is hoped that this publication will fill an important gap in the literature on veterinary epidemiology and provide veterinary managers with a valuable tool to support their work.
Please note that the prices listed are subject to change.
The texts of these manuals can also be downloaded from the Internet at the EMPRES home page (under "Manuals": www.fao.org/waicent/faoinfo/agricult/aga/agah/empres/info/Archive.htm).
EMPRES is planning to continue publishing information resources on related subjects in the near future, and we also aim to make these manuals available in other languages, as funding allows. To help us, we would warmly welcome your comments and opinions on the content, format and usefulness of these manuals.
FAO Animal Health Manuals (availability January 2000)
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This ten-day course will cover many aspects of CBPP, the most serious disease of cattle in Africa. It will focus mainly on recognition of CBPP in the field and abattoir, laboratory diagnosis and the latest developments in rapid field tests.
The course will also include:
The number of participants will be limited to 20 and we encourage early applications. Lectures and practical sessions will be given by internationally recognized experts. The cost of the course, including accommodation, meals and course booklet, will be approximately US$1 200.
All enquiries concerning the course should be addressed to:
Dr Robin Nicholas, Veterinary Laboratories Agency (Weybridge), New Haw, Addlestone, Surrey KT15 3NB, UK. Tel.: +44 1932 357379; Fax: +44 1932 357423; E-mail: [email protected]
or:
Mr Ian Gumm, VEERU, Department of Agriculture, Earley Gate, PO Box 236, Reading RG6 6AT, UK. Tel.: +44 118 926 4888; Fax: +44 118 926 2431; E-mail: [email protected]
We are pleased to announce the release of the Molecular Diagnostic Techniques Overview. This is the first program in a series designed to support animal health professionals in the laboratory sector.
Molecular Diagnostic Techniques (MDT) Overview, edited by Dr John Anderson of the Institute for Animal Health (IAH), Pirbright, United Kingdom, and bringing together a distinguished panel of scientific experts in the field of diagnostics, addresses three groups of users:
Easy to install and use
The MDT Overview is easy to install from diskette and key components may also be downloaded through the Internet (see the EMPRES Web site under "Download": www.fao.org/empres). The minimum requirement is Windows 3.1 or higher, although Windows '95 or higher is advised. The MDT Overview is richly illustrated with diagrams and structured animations, which take a step-by-step approach to processes and techniques, making it an ideal reference and training resource.
Decision support and reference
For the user, the MDT Overview helps to bring practitioners up to date with diagnostic techniques, and helps them to stay there. For the laboratory specialist, an array of tools and techniques, such as diagnostic checklists, is available by clicking on the mouse. Students have a modern and attractive way of learning about the techniques in the context of an efficient approach to livestock production. In this age of the portable laptop computer, the programs are available both in the office and on the move.
THE AVIS CONSORTIUM
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Dr Ledi Pite joined FAO in October 1999 as Associate Professional Officer (Albania) to work on infectious zoonotic diseases.
Dr Pite graduated in 1994 from the faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Tirana, Albania and from the faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Perugia, Italy in 1999. From 1994 to 1996, she worked in the Bacteriology Department of the Institute of Veterinary Research, Tirana, where she was in charge of the diagnostics of bacterial diseases as well as research projects on vaccine production.