RINDERPEST

EMPRES EXPERT AND TECHNICAL CONSULTATIONS ON GREP, MAY 2000

Two landmark meetings were held in Rome at the end of May 2000 in the context of the Global Rinderpest Eradication Programme (GREP) coordination. Both addressed the issue of Verification of Rinderpest Freedom. The Technical Consultation brought together specialists from a range of disciplines and senior animal health administrators from the key geographical regions for rinderpest. There were also representatives from major bilateral and multilateral donor groups, relevant international agencies and the International Office of Epizootics (OIE), allowing a holistic approach to be taken. After reviewing the latest information on the global rinderpest status, giving cause for optimism that the affected areas will continue to decrease even within the last remaining reservoirs, the meeting considered the requirements for disease surveillance and reviewed options for demonstrating freedom from rinderpest. The smaller Expert Consultation then proceeded to elaborate further on the process to be adopted. The full proceedings of the meetings will be made available in the near future.

The meetings recognized the need to regionalize GREP verification procedures in order to accelerate progress and provided a basic plan to be elaborated into a GREP Pathway. Validity of the existing OIE Pathway was endorsed and it will continue to be encouraged and supported for national use. The GREP Pathway replicates the overall approach of the OIE Pathway at the global level, with adaptation to the different circumstances.

The most important elements of this new approach are:

• All use of rinderpest for routine immunization programmes should cease by the end of 2002 in preparation for a declaration of global provisional freedom from the disease by 2003.
• During the critical period from 2003 to 2005 there should be an intensive public information campaign to increase awareness of the Global Rinderpest Eradication Programme.
• In the remaining areas at risk of rinderpest persistence, coordinated, regional surveillance will complement existing national efforts. At the global level, two well-designed "global" surveys are proposed within the critical path to global freedom to verify the declarations of provisional freedom and freedom from disease. These surveys will be restricted to areas known to have had rinderpest after 1980 and will provide serological evidence and community opinion of freedom. The GREP Pathway to freedom from infection will require two rounds of serological surveys: one in 2004-2005 to ensure freedom from disease and another in 2007 to ensure freedom from infection.

A global review group composed of two members from OIE, two from FAO, one from the World Health Organization (WHO) and one from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will be formed to certify the process of the Global Rinderpest Pathway to freedom from infection. This programme review group should be established by 2003.

The Expert Consultation recommended the establishment of a GREP Technical Steering Group to support the GREP secretariat in providing more immediate scientific advice to target countries and regions on issues such as surveillance and verification. Important matters that will need to be addressed include the withdrawal of stocks of rinderpest viruses from all but a small number of reference centres and the cessation of rinderpest vaccine production while maintaining a vaccine reserve for emergency use.

WORKSHOP ON SURVEILLANCE AND EPIDEMIOLOGY

Workshop on the Surveillance and Epidemiology of Rinderpest and Improved Control of Other Major Diseases of Livestock, held in Yemen

Yemen is one of the most important countries forming the focus of intensified action for the Global Rinderpest Eradication Programme (GREP) because of the conjectured persistence in that country of one of the last reservoirs of Asian rinderpest. In response to a request from the Government of Yemen, FAO has recently started implementation of a Technical Cooperation Programme project (TCP/YEM/8923) which is of fundamental importance to GREP and Yemen. The project was drawn up in collaboration with the Joint FAO/IAEA Division to ensure complementarity of its activities with an IAEA project which is phased to start early in 2001. The two projects are synergistic, with the IAEA component extending support for strengthening laboratory diagnosis and surveillance testing for major infectious diseases, especially rinderpest. The project is also coordinated with the FAO/IFAD Regional Animal Disease Surveillance and Control Network (RADISCON) project implemented through EMPRES.

The Workshop on the Surveillance and Epidemiology of Rinderpest and Improved Control of Other Major Diseases of Livestock was held in Sana'a, Yemen from 26 to 29 June 2000. Participants included the Director-General of Animal Resources, Department of Animal Health staff, Governorate Veterinary Services staff and the Chairman of the Yemen Veterinary Association, who was an articulate contributor to discussions.

Workshop participants stressed that livestock production and trade is of major significance to the livelihoods of the Yemeni people, especially the rural poor, and to the national economy. This understanding led to considered statements that:

• infectious diseases cause significant livestock losses and human illness, often devastating to families in rural communities;
• uncontrolled epidemics seriously affect livestock production and trade;
• progressive control of the major infectious diseases of livestock is a core, public good responsibility of the official Yemeni veterinary service that merits a high priority in national planning;
• there exist serious deficits in the structure and functioning of veterinary services to meet their key responsibilities;
• assured eradication of rinderpest is a national and international priority;
• effective early warning and early reaction systems are essential for the effective detection and control of disease epidemics;
• current developments present an opportunity to create a functional structure which involves all stakeholders in disease surveillance and progressive control of the major diseases.

The last element was the focus of a considerable amount of heated discussion because Yemen's agricultural services are currently involved in intensive discussions with the World Bank concerning the nature of a structural adjustment programme. The workshop participants framed several recommendations, among the most important of which were:

• The reorganization and strengthening of the Department of Animal Health should ensure that it can fulfil its required role of leading and coordinating progressive control of the major livestock diseases, which is a central and ongoing function needing continuous and assured funding. The public good functions must include provisions for disease surveillance, emergency preparedness and disease management. It is necessary to ensure a direct line of communication for disease information and direction between the Directorate of the Department of Animal Health, its regional units and other components of veterinary services responsible for service delivery to the livestock owners.
• Legislation needs to be enacted to facilitate the progressive control of major livestock diseases of national economic and/or public health importance. The Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation should issue a ministerial decree to replace Decree 69/89 defining the responsibilities of the Department of Animal Health and other organizations involved in the provision of animal health services.
• The Department of Animal Health should mount a national awareness campaign for livestock owners and animal health workers concerning national issues in the control of the major livestock diseases.
• The Directorate of Animal Resources should initiate contact with neighbouring countries and trading partners to devise measures to minimize the risk of transboundary movement of epidemic diseases.
• The Department of Animal Health should convene regular, ideally quarterly, meetings of stakeholders in animal health to guide and coordinate planning and implementation of public good animal health matters.
• The Department of Animal Health should establish a comprehensive disease surveillance system and contingency planning for disease emergencies, focusing initially on rinderpest as a model.
• The meeting confirmed the Directorate of Animal Resources' commitment to eradicating rinderpest in accordance with the recommended international guidelines of the Global Rinderpest Eradication Programme. This requires the cessation of rinderpest vaccination in order to prove freedom. To start this process, rinderpest vaccination from now on should be limited to vaccination (with permanent marking) of imported cattle in quarantine stations, as a temporary expedient. This use of rinderpest vaccine should also cease as soon as there is sufficient confidence in rinderpest surveillance and emergency preparedness, within the year 2001, and before then all rinderpest vaccines should be withdrawn from the field. A contingency stock of rinderpest vaccine should be maintained by the Department of Animal Health for use in an emergency.

OIE 63RD GENERAL SESSION

Rinderpest-free countries

During the 63rd General Session of OIE held in May 2000, the International Committee adopted Resolution XIII establishing a list of rinderpest-free countries.

The baseline requirements in order to be declared free from infection were the following:

1. Countries are free from rinderpest infection, as defined in Appendix 4.5.1.1 of the International Animal Health Code.

2. There has been no vaccination against rinderpest for at least ten years and throughout that period there has been no evidence of disease or virus infection.

3. An adequate permanent disease reporting system was maintained throughout that period.