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Continuing outbreaks of transboundary animal diseases (TADs), particularly contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP) and foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), in previously free areas of the South African Development Community (SADC) are threatening not only the animal health status of the region and hence the livelihoods of the rural communities, but also the ability to trade in livestock and livestock products. A project was therefore designed with the specific objective of facilitating emergency animal disease control and surveillance in order to halt the spread of CBPP and FMD in affected SADC member countries. As a follow-up to the activities of project TCP/RAF/2809(E) (Control of FMD and Other Transboundary Animal Diseases in Southern Africa), the Government of South Africa donated US$2.6 million to support the control of TADs in southern Africa, especially Malawi, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The inception workshop held in Lusaka, Zambia, 4-5 August 2004, had the following objectives: i) to plan longer-term (16-year) strategies for CBPP and FMD; ii) to discuss operational and technical issues related to the implementation of project OSRO/RAF/404/SAF and to remove potential bottlenecks so as to facilitate smooth implementation of the project in a coordinated and timely manner; and iii) to raise awareness of CBPP and FMD in the region among bilateral and multilateral donors for possible assistance in support of animal disease control programmes in the region. The workshop was attended by Drs Fred Musisi, Regional Emergency Livestock Officer (RELO) based in Johannesburg, South Africa, and Graham Farmer, Regional Emergency Coordinator based at the United Nations Regional Inter-Agency Coordination Support Office (RIACSO), also in Johannesburg. Thirty participants attended this workshop, among whom were the Chief Veterinary Officers (CVOs) or high-ranking representatives of CVOs from the SADC countries Angola, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Representatives came from the veterinary vaccine production companies Onderstepoort Biological Products of Onderstepoort, South Africa, and the Botswana Vaccine Institute of Gaborone, Botswana.
The workshop was opened by the Honourable Mr M.F. Sikatana, Minister of Agriculture of Zambia. He commended the action of South Africa in responding to the joint SADC/FAO appeal for support in animal disease control with a grant of US$2.6 million, which was the main financial resource of project OSRO/RAF/ 404/SAF. This gesture, he believed, was in response to the effect of animal disease outbreaks on the economies of countries in the subregion and the expected salutary effect on national economies should these TADs be controlled. Minister Sikatana concluded that the often-spoken assertion that people have a right to food must be accompanied by people’s responsibility to produce food.
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In his opening remarks, Mr Dong Quingsong, FAO Representative to Zambia, called on participants to the workshop to develop practical, tactical and workable control strategies to control the rampant outbreaks of TADs in the subregion, which have deleterious effects on people’s livelihoods. Dr Fred Musisi, RELO, then outlined the objectives and expected outputs of the workshop. He also gave an update of the SADC/FAO TADs appeal. The principles behind the FAO/OIE initiative - Global Framework for the Progressive Control of Transboundary Animal Diseases (GF-TADs) - namely: (i) progressive control of transboundary animal diseases at source as an international public good; (ii) using FMD as a disease of primary concern to both developed and developing countries in its control; and (iii) a flexible regional approach to animal disease control, epidemiology and strategies that address control of priority diseases as agreed to by stakeholders (CVOs of SADC), were explained to participants by an EMPRES Officer from FAO Headquarters, Rome.
CVOs of SADC countries had met in Pretoria in August 2003 under the auspices of an FAO Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP) project TCP/RAF/2809(E) and had agreed to a regionally coordinated approach to the control of TADs (CBPP and FMD) within the framework of the GF-TADs initiative. The inception workshop on OSRO/RAF/404/SAF could be the beginning of such an initiative, at which coordinated efforts in addressing technical, economic analysis, policy and institutional dimensions confronting the control of TADs within the subregion could be addressed.
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W. AMANFU |
A summary of FAO technical assistance through TCP projects in the control of CBPP within the subregion was given by the EMPRES Officer. This summary included: (i) discussion about improvements in CBPP surveillance capabilities that to date had enabled Malawi to keep out incursions of CBPP from the southern United Republic of Tanzania; (ii) a report that Botswana had been able to mount a coordinated surveillance system for CBPP control through improvements in laboratory diagnostic capacity and staff training in synergy with FMD surveillance activities; (iii) news that, despite TCP assistance, the situation of CBPP occurrence had deteriorated in Zambia, with spread of disease from the northern and southern provinces, threatening neighbouring countries such as Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe; and (iv) information on disease prevalence in Angola.
Two working groups on CBPP and FMD were formed using the templates established at the 2003 CVOs’ meeting as a basis to determine critical gaps that needed to be considered in the long-term progressive control of the two diseases. Such information could form the basis for seeking further donor support in controlling TADs in SADC countries. Country presentations clearly showed that the spread of FMD and CBPP in these countries needed to be considered in all dimensions of early detection, early warning, early reaction and coordinated research - EMPRES precepts. Dr Wilna Vosloo, Deputy Director of the Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute, South Africa, gave a presentation on the molecular epidemiology of FMD virus in South Africa. She pointed out the need to submit samples from cases of FMD outbreaks in order to use currently available genetic typing techniques that could provide clues to the origin of FMD outbreaks (virus circulation and type) - information that is critical in FMD control.
The meeting was productive, and the level of technical presentations was high. Dr Fred Musisi, the Emergency Operations Service and the Animal Health Service should be commended on their joint effort, which has demonstrated livestock production (animal disease control component) as being an important entry point in improving people’s livelihoods, and thus as being worthy of donor and national support.
