Global effort to curb zoonotic diseases highlighted at DC summit

José Graziano da Silva, director-general of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) stressed the need for controls on animal health to help curb the spread of infectious diseases dangerous to humans, during discussions hosted recently by U.S. President Barack Obama.
The FAO chief joined leaders of the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and representatives from more than 40 countries at the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) event held at the White House in Washington, D.C.
Obama underscored the importance of dealing with the breakout of infectious diseases collectively, highlighting that in a world that is deeply interconnected, outbreaks have the potential to impact every country. "No nation can meet this challenge on its own. Nobody is that isolated," he said, stressing the need for global cooperation.
The U.S. government-initiated GHSA is an international partnership to strengthen health systems with the objective to prevent, detect and respond to emerging disease threats. It is estimated that 70 percent of new infectious diseases that have emerged in humans over recent decades have animal origin, mostly from wildlife.
Multidisciplinary approach needed to control zoonotic diseases
Graziano da Silva underlined that "controlling zoonotic diseases and emerging threats at the human, animal and ecosystems interface needs an integrated and multidisciplinary approach that brings different sectors to work closely together to attain the health of people, animals and the environment."
He noted how this is echoed in the One Health agenda which has seen FAO, as part of its tripartite partnership (FAO-WHO-OIE), integrate this approach in its vision for sustainable livestock development "to attain a healthier and more prosperous world."
By focusing on prevention, countries can minimize loss of human life when diseases cross over from animal to human populations and thus become harder to manage - a fact illustrated by the current Ebola outbreak in West Africa, the FAO director-general said.
He expressed "great concern" over the possible impact of this epidemic on "food security and livelihoods of affected communities, with a potential to cause long-term food insecurity in West Africa, as a result of prolonged disruption of crop harvesting and subsequent planting."
The FAO Director-General in his address also mentioned other recent emerging diseases of animal origin that affect humans such as H5N1 avian influenza, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS).
"There is a need to set up global preparedness, surveillance and response programs," Graziano da Silva told participants at the White House event. He welcomed the GHSA's focus on prevention, detection and response, and noted how FAO shared this approach.
Graziano da Silva reiterated FAO's commitment, alongside WHO and OIE, to further support countries in tackling threats to health from animal sources. FAO works with country and regional partners to assist them to develop preparedness and contingency plans for animal health-related events, and these capacities serve both public health and food security aims.
FAO also contributes to health protection through its work on the Joint FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission, that provides guidance on food safety and public health taking into account the entire food chain.
The director-general, in his address at the White House event, emphasized the strong link between nutrition and human health. He noted how the upcoming Second International Conference on Nutrition (ICN2), jointly organized by FAO and WHO, will establish a framework of actions on nutrition that will be part of the Post-2015 agenda.

Animal disease monitoring needs sustained support, says FAO

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) told ministers of health and agriculture meeting in Indonesia on August 20 that animal disease monitoring systems require sustained support and have a critical role to play in preventing human disease threats.
"Animal health remains one the weakest links in terms of how the world deals with disease risks," FAO Chief Veterinary Officer Juan Lubroth said in remarks delivered at a meeting on the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) in Jakarta, Indonesia (20-21 August) being attended by human and animal health authorities and experts from around the globe
According to Lubroth, the current Ebola outbreak in West Africa is a "tragic reminder" not only of the need for increased support for public health systems in the developing world, but also of the importance of ensuring that countries are able to monitor and respond to animal health diseases as well.
While curbing human-to-human transmission remains the most important focus in West Africa, the epidemic there is thought to have started when the virus crossed over from infected wildlife into the human population.
Other recent outbreaks of diseases affecting humans -- including avian influenza, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) -- are believed to have had their start in animals. Indeed, an FAO report published last year highlighted that 70 percent of new infectious human diseases detected in recent decades are of animal origin.
Preparedness is key
"Zoonootic diseases that can make the jump from animals to humans are a real concern, but there is much that we can do before the jump occurs and outbreaks take place, causing loss of life and disrupting fragile livelihoods," said Lubroth.
"To be more resilient in the face of such risks, countries need the resources to be able to better understand where disease is coming from and to prevent it from ever reaching people in the first place. By understanding animal health threats, we have the potential to be ahead of the curve and help prevent human tragedies from happening," he added.
According to FAO, there is a need to rethink how the international community provides global health support, with a new focus on investment in infrastructure, systems and capacities at the national level to help reduce the risks of such emergencies happening in the first place and increase the resilience of communities and health systems to respond when they do.
To support such a transition, FAO and its partners are advocating what is known as the "One Health" approach, which looks at the interplay between environmental factors, animal health, and human health and brings human health professionals, veterinary specialists, sociologists, economists, and ecologists together to work on disease risks in a collaborative way.
At the Jakarta conference some 60 countries as well as international organizations like FAO, the World Health Organization (WHO), and the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) are discussing how to collaborate under the auspices of the GHSA, an international effort to strengthen health systems to help prevent, detect and respond to emerging disease threats. 
In Jakarta, FAO is also making the point that better prevention of disease has long term-development benefits as well. Both animal and human diseases have broad impacts on societies, including reductions in food production and food availability that impact food security in the short term, as well as disruptions to rural economies and livelihoods that can linger for years.

Cooperation in Hungary to prevent zoonosis

"I am very pleased that an exchange of experience could take place among the Ministry of Rural Development, the appropriate bodies of the administrative authorities, members of the veterinary and human medical profession and the representatives of one of the leading veterinary biologicals manufacturer, the Ceva Group and, within it, Ceva-Phylaxia Veterinary Biologicals Co. Ltd., as only in this way can we address a major challenge of the future, the control of diseases transmissible from animals to humans, in an effective and adequate manner," said Dr. Endre Kardeván, Minister of State for Food Chain Control Supervision and Agricultural Administration in Hungary.
In early January a round-table conference was held with the participation of executive officers of the animal health authorities and representatives of Ceva-Phylaxia Veterinary Biologicals, one of the leading veterinary biologicals manufacturers of Hungary, to discuss timely issues of the control of zoonosis, i.e. diseases transmissible from animals to humans. The most important objective of the round-table conference was to enable the Ministry of Rural Development and the animal health authorities to prepare themselves for potential future challenges in the field of zoonosis, and to allow Ceva-Phylaxia to learn the exact demand and to co-operate with the authorities as efficiently as possible in controlling potential zoonotic disease outbreaks, as a participant of a public-private partnership. During the conference, the participants analyzed successful international cases of zoonosis control and studied effective methods used previously, and then compared the international data with the Hungarian experience and demands.
'Great emphasis should be placed on the effective control of animal diseases, as the health of animals is closely linked to that of humans - there is only one health. This is why our commitment must go beyond the scope of animal health, thus creating also another type of community value. It is of key importance for all of us to ensure that the competent authorities, the animal health professionals, the representatives of universities and research institutes and the specialists of the vaccine-manufacturing company exchange their experience and co-operate efficiently in order to achieve the common goal," said Dr. László Máté, zone director of Ceva Group, the parent company of the biggest Hungarian veterinary biologicals manufacturer.

Vietnam bank finances avian influenza control project

The State Bank of Vietnam and the World Bank have signed on to help finance the Vietnam Avian and Human Influenza Control Preparedness Project, which will help the country improve its responses to highly pathogenic avian influenza, human influenza and other newly emerging zoonotic diseases.
US$25 million will be provided to the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to increase the effectiveness of public services in reducing the health risk to poultry and humans from avian influenza in 11 high-priority provinces. The focus will be on controlling the disease at the poultry level, early detection and response to infection, and preparing for the medical consequences of a pandemic.
Two other avian influenza projects have been funded (at a total cost of US$40 million) and implemented since 2004: the Avian Influenza Emergency Recovery Project and the Vietnam Avian and Human Influenza Control and Preparedness Project.

National Institute for Animal Agriculture promotes One Health concept

Opening general session speakers at the 2010 annual meeting of the National Institute for Animal Agriculture, March 15–17, will zero in on the One Health concept, a worldwide strategy for expanding interdisciplinary collaborations to decrease the threat of zoonotic diseases, food- and waterborne illnesses, and environmental change to human and animal health.
The speakers “will look at how the One Health initiative and strategies shift the focus from surveillance to intervention and prevention, and how challenges need to be faced collectively rather than in individual silos and disciplines,” said Dr. Tony Forshey, co-chair of annual meeting’s planning committee.
Opening general session will be held on March 15. Topics and speakers include:

*“One World, One Health: The Global Food Basket"—Dr. Corrie Brown, University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine
*“The Genesis of One Health: What It’s All About"—Dr. Roger Mahr, chief executive, One Health Commission
*“Past, Present and Future: Veterinary Service's Roles in One Health"—Dr. Joseph Annelli, One Health coordinator, USDA/APHIS/Veterinary Services
*“Environmental Health: How Does One Health Fit In?"—Jay Ellenberger, deputy director, Environmental Protection Agency
*“How Will One Health Impact Livestock Producers?"—Dr. Harry Snelson, American Association of Swine Veterinarians
*“One Health in the Real World"—Dr. Billy Clay, American Veterinary Medical Association Council on Public Health and Regulatory Veterinary Medicine, Vetta Consulting LLC

Species-specific discussions surrounding One Health will take place during species-based committee meetings on March 16 and March 17. Species-based committees include cattle, swine, poultry, equine, and sheep and goat. Issue-based committee meetings will address animal care, animal health emergency management, animal health and international trade, animal production food safety and security, emerging diseases, and animal identification and information systems.
The annual meeting will take place at the Westin Crown Center in Kansas City, Mo. A full schedule and registration information are available at the National Institute for Animal Agriculture Web site.