FOOT-AND-MOUTH DISEASE

Foot-and-mouth disease in Argentina

Latin America was affected by several outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in 2002-2003. Following previous outbreaks in Paraguay (July 2003) and Bolivia (July-August 2003), an outbreak of FMD occurred in Tartagal, province of Salta (northern Argentina, near the border with Paraguay) in September 2003.

Background information

Argentina, the second largest country in South America after Brazil, is situated in southern South America and shares borders with Bolivia and Paraguay to the north, Brazil and Uruguay to the east and Chile to the west. The country covers an area of 2766890km² with a human population of 38 740 807.

Argentina is the world's fifth largest producer of cattle, yet its exports of live cattle are small because of the presence of FMD in the country and quotas imposed by importing countries. Argentina produces 5 percent of the world's bovine meat (beef and buffalo) at almost 3 million tonnes. This make it the world's fourth largest producer of beef and veal and the tenth largest exporter of fresh bovine meat. In 2000, the United States of America was Argentina's principal market for beef, followed by Germany, Chile, Canada and Israel. Until July 2003, Argentina also exported 9 000 tonnes of beef to Brazil, valued at US$13 million and it sent 19 000 tonnes of beef to Chile worth US$30 million.

Livestock are mainly concentrated in the provinces of Buenos Aires, Santa Fé, Córdoba, Ente Ríos, Corrientes and La Pampa. The province of Salta is characterized by a low livestock density, mainly with subsistence producers. Beef production in Argentina is divided into different zones or areas according to the main purpose for which cattle are bred, determined by geographic, ecological and weather conditions of each area.

Normally, animals sent to slaughter, whether for domestic consumption or for export, consist of steers fattened under extensive conditions with natural or planted pastures in fattening areas. Steers of six to seven months of age are weaned and between the ages of seven months to one year are transported by hoof or truck to fattening areas. This system implies the movement of 12 million animals each season.

Sheep production is mainly carried out in the FMD-free Patagonia region (south of the Rio Colorado), which has over 66 percent of the national sheep stock.

Industrial pig production in the country is characterized by full-cycle, closed integrated systems that start the process with piglet breeding and fattening for subsequent slaughter, conducted in facilities often owned by the same firm or in establishments with which agreements have been made. Pigs raised in these types of operations are kept in confinement until the time of slaughter (“all-in-all-out processing”). Since these are closed production systems, there is no contact between pigs and other animal species.

While serotype A has been identified in Venezuela, Bolivia and Argentina were affected by serotype O and Paraguay by both serotypes O and A. Serotype C has not been recorded since 1995 (in Brazil). No Asia 1 or any of the SAT viruses have ever occurred in the Americas.

In April 2001, a widespread outbreak of FMD serotype A affected Argentina's major cattle concentration region. The number of animals exposed to the disease was 2 289 280. Out of 120 383 animals that were affected by the disease, 118 617 (98.5 percent) were bovine, 1 654 (1.4 percent) were pigs, 106 (0.01 percent) were sheep and six were goats. Argentina lost its status of FMD-free country shortly after it had been attained and a new FMD eradication plan was adopted based on the strategy of mass vaccination of the cattle population (a total of 122 million bivalent vaccines using serotypes O and A doses of oil adjuvant vaccine were distributed).

Since 2002, Argentina, which has not had an outbreak of FMD since January 2002 (Vicuña Mackenna, Córdoba province), resumed the export of fresh beef to 62 foreign markets. In the first seven months of 2003, Argentina's beef exports totalled US$322 million. According to government statistics, this was 26 percent more than during the same period in 2001, when many international markets were still closed to Argentine exports.

History of FMD viruses from Argentina

FMD was first recorded in Argentina in 1864. Over the past decade, the country has had three major phases of FMD outbreaks. The first phase was from 1990 to 1994, the second from 2000 to January 2002 and the third in 2003. From 1990 to 1994 FMD types A, O and C strains were isolated. From July 2000 to December 2000 types A and O were isolated; from December 2000 to January 2002 exclusively type A, and in September 2003 serotype O was identified.

Areas affected and measures undertake

FMD affected Tartagal, province of Salta (northern Argentina, near the border with Bolivia), in September 2003 (see map).

Table 3 shows the surveillance area, producers and susceptible animals per department in Argentina.

In September 2003, the total number of susceptible animals in the outbreak was 58 pigs, ten goats, two sheep and three bovines. Of the 58 pigs, 18 were affected and two cases of deaths were reported. FMD virus type O was detected from swine samples.

The presence of virus serotype O was deduced from the serological response and detected by the liquid phase blocking ELISA (LPB-ELISA), although viral activity was also determined by the 3ABC ELISA and confirmed by Western blotting (WB). Control measures were immediately taken by SENASA (Servicio Nacional de Sanidad y Calidad Agroalimentaria), Argentina, in order to avoid the spread of the disease.

In addition to immediate implementation of disease control measures in the area affected (by focal, perifocal and surveillance), zoning was initially established as a strategy to mitigate sanitary risk of FMD extension involving the departments of San Martin, Santa Victoria, Orán, Iruya and Rivadavia and the department of Ramón Lista in the province of Formosa.

The zoning areas were subsequently enlarged and at this time they involved an area comprised of the Bermejo River to the north at the international border with Bolivia and Paraguay, including the department of Gral, José de San Martín and northern Rivadavia in the province of Salta and the departments of Ramón Lista, Matacos and Bermejo in the province of Formosa. The implementation of intensive strategic sanitary measures was established in this zone. Outside this area, surveillance area actions were established, comprising the bordering departments of the provinces of Salta and Formosa.

Measures undertaken by neighbouring countries

Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay temporarily banned imports of Argentine meat products to prevent the spread of a new FMD outbreak.

The agriculture ministers of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay held a meeting in July 2003 in Bolivia to increase cooperation in controlling FMD in the region and signed an agreement on emergency and contingency plans.

Discussion and conclusion

The province of Salta is characterized by a low livestock density, mainly with subsistence producers, with no production link with other regions.

To date there are no new outbreaks of FMD reported in Argentina and the last active outbreak was contained. All the FMD outbreaks in Bolivia, including the outbreak in Morros Blancos, Tarija department, have been controlled. In Paraguay, stamping out of all susceptible animals in the outbreak was completed by 15 July 2003.

In comparison with the events of 2001, where the producers' concern was made public, measures were undertaken late because of the lack of communication within Argentina and the subsequent spread of FMD to Uruguay and Brazil. By contrast, in 2003, coordinated action inside the country and an exchange of information among neighbours were indispensable to control disease in the region. The difference between FMD outbreak outcomes between the type A Argentine epidemic of 2001 and the most recent one caused by serotype O in 2003 is attributed to early detection and early response.

Bibliography

Cané, B.G. 2001. Foot-and-mouth disease in Argentina: the experience of eradication and the crisis as an opportunity to produce a sustainable change in the cattle industry. (International Conference on Prevention and Control of Foot-and-Mouth Disease, Brussels, 12-13 December 2001.)

Foot-and-mouth disease, Argentina. 16 March 2001, Impact Worksheet (available at USDA Web site: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/ceah/cei/fmd_argentina0301e.htm/).

International Office of Epizootics (OIE).

Servicio Nacional de Sanidad y Calidad Agroalimentaria (SENASA). 2003. Report of sanitary actions in view of the presence of a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in Tartagal, province of Salta, Argentina.

Sutmoller, P. & Casas Olascoaga, R. 2002. The successful control and eradication of foot-and-mouth disease epidemics in South America in 2001.

Xinhua News Agency, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The Second FMD Round Table Meeting held in Cairo, Egypt from 5 to 6 October 2003 and its recommendations

Organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in collaboration with the Egyptian Veterinary Medical Association (EVMA) and attended by representatives from Egypt, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the Sudan, the Syrian Arab Republic, Tunisia and Turkey and representatives from FAO, the European Commission for the Control of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (EUFMD), OIE and the Arab Organization for Agricultural Development (AOAD)

1. The attendees of the Second FMD Round Table Meeting recognized the value of FAO's Regional Animal Disease Surveillance and Control Network (RADISCON) and the impact it has had on improving the level of epidemiology information, equipment installation and quality of training. The participating representatives therefore urged the international donor community and ministries to identify funds for RADISCON phase 2 initiatives that include modernization of equipment, software, improved continued surveillance and reporting for transboundary animal diseases and those of public health concern, emergency preparedness and contingency planning at the national and regional level.
2. The meeting supported the establishment of the Animal Health Commission for the Near East and North Africa (AHCNENA), which has already been endorsed by the agriculture and livestock ministers of the region. This Commission should become an important body working together with the OIE/FAO Regional Steering Committee. A decision for the establishment of AHCNENA was hoped to be made at the 27th FAO Regional Conference for the New East held in Doha, Qatar, in March 2004.
3. The meeting supported activities that will enable an early approval and implementation of a regional Technical Cooperation Project for the Upgrading of Immunoprophylactic Measures for the Control of Prevalent Infectious Animal Diseases in the Near East and North Africa. FAO is requested urgently to facilitate the application, for example by an advance allocation for the formulation of the project. The activity to identify candidate reference laboratories and the required level of upgrading and identifying potential funding sources is recommended.
4. The meeting recommended that a Regional Reference Laboratory for FMD be selected, capable of receiving specimens and virus isolates from across the region, including exotic virus strains with which the region is at risk. Upgrading of national laboratories to meet international acceptable levels of biosafety, with national (and possible international) support, would enhance linking field surveillance and accurate diagnostic capabilities.
5. The meeting supported the principles of the AOAD initiative and considers that, given the potential overlap with other regional initiatives, close collaboration with international organizations is strongly encouraged to increase the effectiveness of planned activities and the feasibility of activities in future phases.
6. A research network should be established with a coordinator who can facilitate the links between national laboratories and the FAO World Reference Laboratory at Pirbright, United Kingdom, and with research networks and laboratories in other regions, such as the EUFMD Research Group.
7. A proposed FAO/OIE round table on FMD and other transboundary animal diseases (TADs) in the Near East Region should be organized every two years, with the responsibility of organizing the meeting rotating between FAO and OIE. On this basis, the OIE Regional Representation would be expected to organize the next Session in 2005.
8. Shortage of funds for TADs, and particularly for FMD research, surveillance, and control measures is a critical constraint for the region and the meeting recommended that investment in these activities by donors be given a very high priority.

These recommendations were submitted by Dr Talib Ali Elam at the high-level technical workshop “Regional Programmes for Food Security in the Near East: Towards Sustainable Food Security and Poverty Alleviation” held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, from 8 to 9 October 2003. The workshop was organized by the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) and FAO and was attended by representatives from Saudi Arabia, the Arab Maghreb Union (AMU), the Arab Organization for Agricultural Development (AOAD), the Arab Authority for Agricultural Investment and Development (AAAID), the Community of Sahel and Saharan States (CEN-SAD), the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), the African Development Bank (ADB) and the OPEC Fund for Development.