C Y Gopinath

ECTAD-RAPNews May-Jun 2013 Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Diseases • FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific Preparing for H7N9 As the flu season in October draws near, experts meet to devise a strategy against a possible (A) H7N9 re-emergence “T 1. Dr Dennis Carroll, Director of USAID’s Pandemic Influenza and Other Emerging Threats Unit, speaks at the technical and policy discussion on the prevention and control of avian influenza (A) H7N9 in Bangkok. 2. Participants of the June meeting, including in the first row: Dr Juan Lubroth, Chief Veterinary Officer, FAO, Rome (second from left) and Mr Hiroyuki Konuma, Assistant Director General, FAO-RAP. hese were unprecedented discussions,” said Dr Dennis Carroll, Director, Pandemic Influenza and Other Emerging Threats Unit of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), at the conclusion of a Technical and Policy Discussion on the Prevention and Control of Avian Influenza (A) H7N9 in Asia, held on 24-25 June in Bangkok. “We are discussing how to prevent something, rather than react to it. Having seen the unfolding of an emerging threat in China we have learned a lot about H7N9 because of that work. We are in a better spot than we could have been, although we don’t know if it will re-emerge. . . We do know more than we would have. And this is due to the work we have been doing for the last 10 years. . . Today we are working together to begin developing the plans of action should H7N9 re-emerge in October.” The meeting was attended by high-level representatives from Ministries of Health and Ministries of Agriculture from Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand and Viet Nam. H.E. Yukol Limlamthong, Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Agriculture and Cooperatives, and Dr Michael Yates, Director of the USAID Regional Development Mission for Asia, and Mr Hiroyuki Konuma, Assistant Director General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the Continued overleaf 2 1 2 ECTAD-RAPNews May-Jun 2013 The (A) H7N9 influenza virus is unique, able to cause severe disease in humans but not affecting poultry, and challenging efforts to detect and control the virus in animals. Since March 2013, China has reported 132 laboratory confirmed human cases of (A) H7N9 influenza, including 39 fatalities, to WHO. WHO. While there is no evidence United Nations (FAO) participatof spread wider than the ten proved in the opening session of the inces in Eastern China, influenzas meeting. In addition, the meeting often follow a seasonal pattern, included international developand representatives from the rement partners such as the World gion discussed best practices to Health Organization (WHO), the heighten targeted surveillance World Organisation for Animal and rapidly implement diagnosis Health (OIE), FHI360, and others. and treatment should the virus be The meeting’s objectives were found outside of China. to share lessons learned from China’s efforts to prevent and manage (A) H7N9 influenza inClose cooperation fections in poultry and humans Representatives agreed that close as well as monitoring H7N9 influcooperation between human and enza’s viral evolution; discuss unanimal health authorities is critresolved issues related to viral (LEFT) Dr Subhash Morzaria, Regional Manager, Emergency Centre for ical to controlling this emergtransmission, surveillance, risk Transboundary Animal Diseases, Regional office for Asia and the Pacific. ing virus at its source. FAO, OIE assessment and management (RIGHT) Dr Richard Brown, Regional Advisor, WHO South East Asia Regional and WHO stressed that (A) H7N9 Office. and practical interventions for is a public health challenge linked H7N9 influenza infection based on capac- (A) H7N9, rapidly infected many others, closely to its probable source in domestic ity developed from the H5N1 crisis; dis- raising the spectre of a new flu pandem- poultry. Together with USAID, the three orcuss risks and scenarios of the H7N9 situa- ic. New cases were being reported almost ganizations stand ready to help public and tion in the region and possible mitigation daily by the Chinese Ministry of Health, and animal health authorities collaborate in remeasures in the short, medium and longer about 20 per cent of the infected were dy- sponding to the virus, and urged countries term; and identify possible synergies of the ing. Though the source of (A) H7N9 had not to work together across sectors and discihuman health, animal health and other sec- been confirmed, the large case virological plines using a One Health approach to best tors among the countries and international surveillance indicated infection in chickens, protect human and animal health while organizations in the region. ducks and pigeons. Samples collected from safeguarding livelihoods, food security, the Dr. Subhash Morzaria, Regional several Live Bird Markets (LBMs) had also environment and the public good. Manager of FAO’s Emergency Centre for been found to be positive. In humans, the With nearly a decade of experience Transboundary Animal Diseases, Regional infection was believed to pass through the with avian influenza H5N1 in the region, Office for Asia and the Pacific (ECTAD-RAP), oro-pharyngeal route, manifesting a range the Bangkok meeting, jointly hosted by the began the meeting by inviting guests to of symptoms from sub-clinical to mild dis- Royal Government of Thailand and USAID, give opening remarks. Speaking on be- ease to severe pneumonia. presented a virtual toolkit for detection, dihalf of the Royal Thai Government, H.E. agnosis and control options that countries Dr. Yukol Limlaemthong commended the Low pathogenicity can call upon in the campaign against (A) Government of China for its efforts in con- To confound matters, the (A) H7N9 virus H7N9 or future influenzas that threaten trolling the (A) H7N9 outbreaks and sharing had low pathogenicity. Though it was high- health and livelihoods in Asia. valuable information about the virus. “The ability of governments and their ly infectious, causing severe disease in humans, it did not cause any disease or ap- partners to quickly detect and respond to parent production loss in poultry. With this the (A) H7N9 virus has been enhanced by How it started The story began on 31 March, when three characteristic, the virus had the potential to the partnerships, platforms and knowlChinese persons were found to be infect- spread widely among poultry populations edge-base built across Asia over the past decade, responding to serial threats posed ed with a strain of influenza A that had not while remaining undetected. The (A) H7N9 influenza virus challeng- by SARS, the H5N1 avian flu and the panbeen in the news before. The three infected persons died shortly after, following an es efforts to detect and control it in animals. demic H1N1 flu,” said Dr. Dennis Carroll. illness similar to severe respiratory disease Since March 2013, China has reported 132 “This meeting is an opportunity to highincluding severe pneumonia. In the days laboratory confirmed human cases of (A) light these partnerships and forge a united and weeks that followed, the novel virus, H7N9 influenza, including 39 fatalities, to way forward.” OUR DONORS European Commission World Bank Japan Republic of Korea FAO 3 ECTAD-RAPNews May-Jun 2013 Putting women in the picture Gender, Livestock and Livelihood in Southeast Asia 4-6 June 2013 • Bangkok, Thailand T he second training workshop on Gender, Livestock and Livelihood was conducted in Bangkok, Thailand, by FAO’s Animal Production and Health (AGA) and the Gender, Equity and Rural employment (ESW) Divisions from 4-6 June, to enhance the capacity of FAO’s livestock experts in field offices as well as FAO’s counterparts in Ministries of Livestock (or equivalent). The Southeast Asia region was identified as a number of livestock programmes and projects are currently starting or are ongoing. The workshop was attended by 23 participants from nine Southeast Asian and South Asian countries (Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Laos, Philippines, Thailand and Viet Nam). On the second day, this swelled to 28 as additional FAO staff joined. The objectives of the workshop were to build knowledge and understanding on specific gender issues emerging in livestock farming in the region; and to build capacity to integrate gender issues in livestock programmes and projects, while identifying the main constraints faced by women and men in accessing, controlling and managing livestock farming in the region. The main outcome of the workshop will be a booklet on Gender and Livestock in SE Asia, planned to be released in 2014. Regional Laboratory Network Workshop on Strengthening of the Laboratory and Field Epidemiology Linkage 20-31 May 2013 • Bangkok, Thailand R ecognizing the importance of the linkage between veterinary field epidemiology and laboratory components, FAO, in collaboration with the Australian Animal Health Laboratory (AAHL), conducted a Regional Laboratory Network Workshop on Strengthening of the Laboratory and Field Epidemiology Linkage on 20-31 May at the Faculty of Veterinary Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok. The workshop’s objectives were to foster appreciation for the communication required between laboratory and epidemiology field (ABOVE and RIGHT): Participants at the Gender, Livestock and Livelihood meeting in Bangkok staff for the effective planning and implementation of surveillance and outbreak investigation activities; to enhance the understanding of current diagnostic tests including the selection of appropriate assays and associated sample requirements; and to enhance participants’ competence in interpreting diagnostic test results and relating them to risk assessment and decision making or policy advice. The workshop was attended by 19 veterinary laboratory and 6 field epidemiology staff from the national animal health services in the Regional Laboratory Network. The FAO regional laboratory capacity building programme is supported by USAID’s Emerging Pandemic Threat Programme (USAID-EPT, IDENTIFY) and the European Commission Regional Collaborative Programme on Highly Pathogenic Emerging Diseases (EU-HPED). 21st meeting of ASWGL T he 21st Meeting of ASEAN Sectoral Livestock Working Group (ASWGL) was held in Manila from 22-24 May. FAO presented several initiatives for political endorsement and support to ensure sustainability and eventual ownership by ASEAN. Among others, the meeting commended the progress of the EU-HPED project’s FAO component and agreed to continue to support its implementation. This includes the establishment of an ASEAN epidemiology focal group to oversee the broader initiative in developing the regional strategic framework for epidemiology capacity development and networking in southeast Asia. Another activity will be the establishment of an ASEAN laboratory focal group to oversee the development of the regional strategic framework for laboratory capacity building and networking in ASEAN, recognizing the Regional Laboratory Directors’ Forum as an ASEAN ad hoc group for advancing the establishment of the ASEAN laboratory focal group. The meeting also took note of the progress of the ASEAN Ad hoc Communication Group for Livestock and supported the implementation of the proposed work plan, including the development of a strategic framework for communication, and the development of the ASEAN-FAO-EU website to be launch during the 35th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Agriculture and Forestry. A decision was also taken for Philippines, with support from FAO, to continue its regional role on Environmental Animal Health Management Initiative project under the ASEAN banner, to enable it to expand to other ASEAN countries. 4 Playing tag with bats A Thai bat biologist and veterinarian tag and anesthetize a flying fox in Viet Nam. 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