NEWS@RADISCON

The future of RADISCON phase two

A RADISCON project was undertaken in 29 countries of the Middle East, North Africa, the Horn of Africa and the Sahel to improve or establish animal disease information at the national and regional levels through capacity building for disease surveillance and control of certain diseases.

Phase two RADISCON is intended to build on the achievements of the implementation of the first phase of RADISCON through:

• increasing understanding of in-country and regional priority disease situations through the practical use of surveillance techniques and information technology; and
• the enhancement of regional collaboration in animal disease surveillance and progressive control of regional priority diseases.

In preparation for phase two, a questionnaire was sent to participating countries in order to receive their comments, suggestions, expectations and respective needs. Their responses are summarized below.

What are the strengths of disease surveillance and control systems in member countries?

• Effective national veterinary services and adequate legislation are in place.
• Capacities have been built through national and RADISCON projects for animal disease reporting, data collation, data analysis and data management.
• Epidemiology units have been established.
• Animal disease control and prevention are being carried out according to national resources.
• Under national support, most countries have equipped central veterinary laboratories to enable them to perform laboratory diagnosis and provide laboratory support for disease surveillance and investigations.

How can RADISCON phase two improve national veterinary services?

• Provide more training and technical assistance for disease control policy, strategy and planning.
• Organize more coordination and collaboration meetings at the regional and subregional levels.
• Facilitate disease control harmonization and the exchange of disease information among RADISCON countries and clusters.
• Exchange experience in risk analysis.
• Support participating countries in the design and implementation of active surveillance, emergency preparedness and disease contingency plans.
• Support capacity building in import and export risk analysis.

What are the suggestions for developing mutual confidence?

• Exchange animal disease control and surveillance experts at the subregional level.
• Exchange disease information and encourage greater intercountry collaboration for TAD surveillance and control.
• Establish harmonized disease control policies and strategies within the clusters.
• Conduct regular coordination meetings and workshops to exchange disease control status and control programmes in each cluster.
• Improve trade in livestock and their products within all RADISCON countries.

What are the major weaknesses of animal disease surveillance and control systems?

• Lack of trained personnel in epidemiology and laboratory diagnosis.
• Disease, surveillance and disease control policies and strategy.
• Low awareness among livestock owners and producers.
• Shortages of financial and technical means for emergency response to animal disease diagnosis, surveillance and control (early warning and early reaction).
• Lack of harmonized disease control between neighbouring countries.
• Inadequate early warning systems.

Training requirements

• Field disease epidemiological investigation and active surveillance principles and methodology.
• Risk management techniques.
• Animal disease control policy and strategy planning.
• Epidemiological tools and software such as TADinfo and data management and analysis.
• Disease investigation and disease search.
• TAD laboratory diagnosis (routine and advance technology).
• Capacity building in training (epidemiology; disease diagnosis and control; risk management).

Major constraints in controlling TADs

• Lack of regional/subregional TADs harmonized disease control strategies and reporting.
• Lack of disease control coordination unit.
• Lack of financial means for emergency operation (early warning and early reaction).
• Lack of skills and experience in field disease and laboratory disease diagnosis.
• Lack of border harmonization and bilateral coordination and cooperation in disease control.
• Lack of animal identification system and control of movement of animals.

Expectations for RADISCON phase two

• Consolidate the activities and achievements gained by the implementation of RADISCON phase one.
• Provide training and advisory support for participating countries to enable them to design and implement an active disease surveillance and control strategy.
• Support subregional RADISCON priority animal disease control programmes such as the control of sheep pox in the Maghreb cluster and provide similar disease control programmes for FMD and PPR in other subregions.
• Conduct regular subregional and regional meetings and coordination to improve harmonization and bilateral cooperation for animal disease reporting, planning and control programmes.
• Improve capacity for field and laboratory diagnosis of TADs through national and regional training courses.
• Support participating countries through national and regional training courses for design and implementation of active disease surveillance systems for TADs at national and regional levels.
• Conduct annual meeting to review the progress in animal health information exchange and capacity.

Preparing for RADISCON phase two

RADISCON phase two is intended to build on the achievements of RADISCON phase one to strengthen the national veterinary epidemiological units.

The project documents have been sent to donors (IFAD, Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries [OPEC], GCC) for partial funding.

IFAD has already shown interest in becoming a donor partner for RADISCON phase two. Radiscon phase one was due to end in December 2002 and there is a risk that the benefits derived from its efforts will be lost unless the necessary funding is secured.