C Y Gopinath

ECTAD-RAPNews Jan-Feb 2013 Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Diseases • FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific 1-2-3 towards One Health FAO walks the One Health talk at the 2013 Prince Mahidol Award Conference in Bangkok, Thailand CONTENTS PMAC pictorial . . . 2 Thailand Social Network Analysis workshop. . . 3 Thailand Epidemiology Consortium. . . 3 Thailand 2013 Annual Regional ECTAD meeting. . . 4 Thailand International Conference of Veterinary Sciences. . . 4 T he Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and the World Health Organization (WHO) set up a so-called tripartite booth (see pics below), on the occasion of this year’s Prince Mahidol Award Conference (PMAC), held at the Centara Grand Hotel, Bangkok from 28 January to 2 February. The tripartite consultations between these three organizations over the last two years have been one of the most visible examples of crosssectoral collaboration in the context of One Health. On a monitor next to the tripartite booth, a selection of FAO short films was on display for visitors. PMAC this year was attended by 966 participants from 73 countries, in addition to many international partners and about 150 support staff. The event was impeccably organized and managed, and took the global conversation around One Health forward. The keynote address was delivered by Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, and there were five plenary sessions, 21 parallel sessions, nine optional field visits for about 300 participants, and 27 side meetings and workshops. FAO took the lead in three of the side meetings. The Epidemiology Consortium for Emerging Zoonotic and Transboundary Animal Diseases (TADs) Control in Asia met on 28 January. FAO has played a guiding and formative role in this group (See page 3). Another side meeting, Neglected Zoonotic Diseases in a One Health context: exchanging experiences between continents, was organized by FAO and European Community Projects, and moderated by Dr Katinka de Balogh of FAO Rome on 29 January. On the same day, the Scientific Task Force on Wildlife and Ecosystem Health and Multilateral Environmental Agreements Coordination held a meeting moderated by FAO’s Scott Newman and Lindsey McCrickard. One inspiring message from the PMAC keynote speeches was the call for the greater involvement of communities at all levels in the pursuit of global health, and the growing need to think of “diseases without borders” since the pathogens we fight themselves respect no geographical, political or disciplinary boundaries. LEFT to RIGHT: Dr Juan Lubroth, Chief Veterinary Officer, FAO, Dr Wantanee Kalpravidh, Regional Project Coordinator, and Dr Subhash Morzaria, Regional Manager, stand proud at the tripartite booth at the PMAC conference. INSET: FAO publications at the booth 2 ECTAD-RAPNews Jan-Feb 2013 IMAGES FROM PMAC 1 1. Some of the entries for the One Health World Art contest. 2. Over 100 participants met to discuss ways to enable more successful inter-disciplinary and transsectoral collaborations to address global public health challenges. 3. Dr David Nabarro, Senior Coordinator for Avian and Pandemic Influenza, UN Secretary General’s Office, speaks at the inaugural ceremony. 4. Dr Subhash Morzaria, Regional Manager, ECTADRAP. 5. Dr Juan Lubroth, Chief Veterinary Officer, FAO. 6. Left to right: Dr Carolyne Benigno and Dr Wantanee Kalpravidh, of FAO ECTADRAP, with Dr Katinka de Balogh of FAO Rome. 2 3 5 4 6 OUR DONORS European Commission World Bank Japan Republic of Korea FAO 3 ECTAD-RAPNews Jan-Feb 2013 R EGIONAL UPDAT E Epidemiology consortium: Getting strategic The Consortium broadens its vision and gears up for its future Consultative Meeting of Epidemiology Consortium for Emerging Zoonotic and TADs Control in Asia 28 January 2013 • Bangkok, Thailand he Consultative Meeting of the Epidemiology Consortium for Emerging Zoonotic and Transboundary Animal Diseases (TADs) Control in Asia was held 28 January as one of the PMAC side meetings in Bangkok, Thailand. The meeting was attended by over 50 participants representing 18 organizations and institutions. The main objectives of the meeting were to update participants on consortium activities related to capacity building, information sharing and research and knowledge utilization using a One Health approach; review existing regional platforms and strategies; and identify terms of reference and specific activities for joint collaboration. By the end of the meeting, there was agreement to refocus consortium activities across three thematic areas. The Consortium also agreed to support the Regional Support Unit (RSU), provide scholarships T and develop curricula to promote sustainable resource mobilization. The Consortium’s goals were revised to broaden its vision and meet evolving needs and developments related to emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) and TADs. Also, specific steps were identified towards the development of an Epidemiology Strategy for the region. Workshop on Assessment of FMD risks via Social Network Analysis 11-15 February 2013 • Bangkok, Thailand ontact between infected and non-infected animals is a major risk factor in the spread of foot and mouth disease (FMD) and other infectious animal diseases. Social Network Analysis (SNA) is a well-established methodology that can help identify nodes in the livestock supply chain that pose a high risk of the spread of FMD. FAO-RAP is implementing this activity as part of the joint efforts of two projects including FMD Control in Southeast Asia through Application of the Progressive Control C Above: Participants of the Epidemiology Consortium meeting Pathway (PCP) (funded by the Republic of Korea) and the Regional cooperation programme on Highly Pathogenic and Emerging Diseases (HPED) in South and Southeast Asia project, funded by the European Union HPED project. The projects aim to improve the control and management of FMD through the application of the PCP for FMD in Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Viet Nam. The main objective of the workshop was to transfer social network analysis capacity to epidemiologists in the public veterinary services or the veterinary research institutes of countries in the region. Modeling Techniques for Economywide FMD Impact Assessment 13-16 January 2013 • Phnom Penh, Cambodia he workshop, supported by the Republic of Korea, introduced the economic theory and practice of animal disease risk assessment, with emphasis on economywide impacts as these arise from economic interactions and spillover effects. The course combined theoretical and empirical material with the latest data and software resources. Dr Jan Hinrichs, Animal Health Economist, Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Diseases (ECTAD) Region of Asia and the Pacific (RAP), opened the workshop and reviewed the strengths and weaknesses of published FMD impact assessments. T Left: Participants of the Social Network Analysis workshop 4 ECTAD-RAPNews Jan-Feb 2013 ECTAD beyond the emergency The 2013 Annual Regional ECTAD Meeting looked at future directions for ECTAD in a One Health world beyond HPAI T he Seventh Annual Regional ECTAD Meeting (AREM), held in Bangkok, Thailand, from 27 February to 1 March 2013 focussed on tailoring ECTAD’s future directions and strategies to ensure synergy with FAO’s strategic objectives and the Animal Health Action Plan, and also ensuring that FAO can maintain its profile as a strong technical agency among its partners in addressing the global issue of high impact infectious diseases under the One Health approach. The meeting was attended by 75 participants representing ECTAD country teams consisting of the team leaders and key technical and operations officers; the ECTADRAP team; the ECTAD Sub-regional Office for South Asia; and the ECTAD team from FAO HQ. H5N1 review The objectives of the three-day meeting were to review the H5N1 situation and the rapid spread and dominance of clade 2.3.2.1 and other co-circulating and inter-related influenza viruses in Asia, as well as the implications on control and eradication of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in the region; to discuss how to further broaden the ECTAD agenda from HPAI to One Health at the country level; and to discuss the modalities of operating under FAO’s decentralized system while maintaining synergy with FAO’s corporate strategy. The meeting started with a HPAI situation review whose highlight was a riveting presentation from Dr Ken Inui, of FAO Viet Nam on regional clade distribution Mr Hiroyuki Konuma, Assistant Director General and Regional Representative for Asia and the Pacific, speaks at the meeting’s launch, flanked by (to his left) Dr. Juan Lubroth, Chief Veterinary Officer of FAO, and (to his right) Dr Subhash Morzaria, Regional Manager, ECTAD-RAP and its implications for HPAI control and eradication. Case studies for a zonal approach to HPAI from China-Viet Nam, Cambodia-Viet Nam, South Asia and Indonesia were presented in plenary, before participants broke out into smaller zone-based groups to develop recommendations for revising the FAO regional strategy for HPAI in Asia and the Pacific. Advancing FAO’s profile The second day’s focus was on ways to advance FAO’s profile in using the One Health approach, starting with short presentations on ongoing One Health activities. In a breakout session after lunch, participants worked in four groups to discuss the broadening of the ECTAD agenda from HPAI to One Health. The groups were themed around human and institutional capacity; surveillance and ways to link field and laboratory capacity and generating better understanding; risk management, including characterization and risk mitigation; and trans-disciplinary interface thinking. Participants discussed the way forward for ECTAD and how FAO should be positioned to better secure future resources. The final day’s session, co-facilitated by ECTAD Rome, dealt with the implications and challenges of FAO’s transition to a decentralized international body. Ongoing institutional changes as well as their impact were discussed. 38th International Conference on Veterinary Sciences T he 38th International Conference on Veterinary Sciences on the subject Food and Friend: Guarantee in Green Global was organized from 16 to 18 January 2013 in Bangkok, Thailand. The conference served as an open forum for exchanging the latest scientific information and knowledge on veterinary sciences, to promote and strengthen networks among veterinary professions regionally and globally, and to contribute towards regional and global efforts to prevent, control, and eradicate emerging and re-emerging diseases. More than 1,000 delegates and observers attended the three-day conference, including experts, representatives from countries and international organizations, academia, and the private sector. FAO collaborated with the Thailand Veterinary Medical Association (TVMA) by facilitating the submission of abstracts by government staff from ASEAN Member States and supporting the participation of those whose abstracts were accepted for presentation at the conference. It also fulfilled recommendations from recent meetings of the epidemiology and laboratory networks in Southeast Asia, where opportunities were sought to support sharing of information and studies among countries in the region as part of envisaged network activities. FAO ECTAD Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, Maliwan Mansion, 39 Phra Athit Road, Bangkok, Thailand 10200 Tel:- • Fax:- • For more information: www.fao.org