FAO.org

Around 400 veterinarians are preparing to help stem the spread of a transboundary disease that is putting livelihoods, food security, and populations of domestic pigs and wild boar at risk across south-eastern Europe. The new tool in their kit is a training course that is now available in Romanian.

African swine fever (ASF) is a devastating transboundary disease that is endemic in swine across five continents. As its spread increases, so do the risks it poses to large and small pig farms, local economies, and food security. Building first responder capacity in preparedness, early detection and response is critical to mitigate these threats.

A virtual training course on African Swine Fever Preparedness has now been translated into Romanian, making it accessible to a new group of veterinarians. The four-week programme, already available in several languages including English, Spanish and Russian, targets those who may be involved in detecting, investigating and responding to an outbreak of African swine fever. The course is hosted on the Virtual Learning Center Platform, which was developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to support animal health professionals through various training courses.

Since its pilot in 2019, it has already helped to train more than 2 000 veterinarians in Europe and Central Asia and has been adapted into an open-access format, available to anyone at any time. It contains seven interactive modules which cover prevention and control measures including early detection, personal and farm biosecurity, as well as disease management strategies for wild boar populations.

With nearly 400 public and private veterinarians already enrolled on the Romanian ASF preparedness course, which started in April 2024, the disease may soon be finding its path obstructed across the region.

A transboundary virtual network of resistance

The training modules are supported by an online discussion forum where participants can ask specific questions to experts and connect with each other.

“Although African swine fever has been present in Romania and the Republic of Moldova for years, training veterinarians and sharing lessons learnt on how to detect, prevent and respond to it remains key to controlling the disease in our region,” said Mark Hovari, FAO Animal Health Preparedness Expert. “As it is a transboundary disease, building these kinds of cross-border networks helps veterinarians work collaboratively which is an essential part of containing its spread.”

Certified for ASF action

Participants who successfully complete the course will receive a certificate accredited by the Veterinary Continuing Education in Europe (VetCEE), an organization that facilitates the recognition of Continuing Professional Development between various countries in Europe. The certificate counts towards compulsory credits needed by Romanian and Moldovan veterinarians as part of their ongoing professional training.

The course is hosted on the Virtual Learning Centre, which was developed by FAO to support animal health professionals through various training courses. It is the first time that the platform has offered a course in Romanian. FAO also supported the development of the course curricula, along with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), who also provided translation and trainer costs. FAO and the EBRD have a long history of collaboration on a project to raise awareness of ASF in south-eastern Europe and build the capacity of veterinary personnel, commercial and small pig farmers, government officials and hunters to detect, prevent and respond to the disease.

Speaking about the importance of scaling up access to knowledge using digital learning environments, Vasyl Hovhera, EBRD Principal, Agribusiness Advisory, commented: “We have just signed a new project to extend learning opportunities on best practices in livestock to Ukraine through AgriAcademy – our new online educational centre – the EBRD and FAO are also working to scale out our efforts to reach farmers and practitioners. “

For more information on the FAO/EBRD project see here.