The development of Namibia is deeply rooted in the agricultural sector. With 90% of land suitable for livestock farming, a large proportion of the country’s rural population depends on this activity for food security, livelihoods and economic well-being. The estimated livestock population amounts to around 2 million cattle, 2,5 million sheep, 1,8 million goats and 17 thousand pigs. Animal production represents therefore a driver of economic growth, making key contributions to the local GDP.

Transboundary diseases such as FMD (foot and mouth disease) have the potential to dampen cross-border livestock trade and, more broadly, upend a country’s position within the global marketplace, making meat exports difficult. Worsened by drought, which affects rain-fed agriculture pushing pastoralists to seek more favourable areas for livestock grazing, an unforeseeably changing disease landscape has long put the economy of Namibia under strain.

The reliance on animal exports makes Namibia’s economy vulnerable to , whose outbreaks can result in severe production losses and lead to major halts to livestock trade. Preventing this disease, however, is possible through the implementation of effective sanitary measures aimed at preventing the introduction of the virus into the animal population. Early detection and response systems are equally important as they allow for an effective containment and eradication.  

Namibia’s overall animal health situation is also shaped by its geographical position, sharing borders with countries and areas that are not free from FMD. Here, the movement of farmers grazing family cattle in areas where wild buffaloes may be present can occur, posing serious challenges to the control of transboundary animal diseases and the regulation of cross-border flows of goods. This movement has indeed led to outbreaks of both contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP) and FMD in animals returning to Namibia.

Keeping infectious diseases at bay

There are several ways to control endemic diseases. A zoning approach is one of them. Zoning is a provision explained in WOAH Standards, which allows a country to concentrate its resources in a defined restricted area where controlling and eradicating the disease would be achievable. A progressive extension of the free zone may lead to the eradication of the disease from the entire territory.

Achieving an official disease-free status nationwide should be the final goal for countries. However, given the difficulty of reaching such an objective, there are some undeniable benefits to establish and maintaining a subpopulation with a specific health status within a national territory, not only for disease prevention and control but also for the purposes of international trade.

FMD offered the first-ever opportunity for WOAH to set up a list of countries to be officially recognised as free of the disease, either in their entirety or in defined zones. Having implemented zoning since 1994, Namibia was one of the first countries to be granted an FMD free zone without vaccination status in 1997. Moreover, Namibia has been able to successfully secure and maintain the FMD free zone since this official recognition by WOAH, despite the outbreaks that have continued to unfold in the rest of the country.

The benefits of WOAH Standards for international trade

Dr Anja Boshoff-De Witt works at the national Meat Board, a regulating body that facilitates the export of livestock, meat and processed meat products in Namibia. She believes that translating animal health standards into real-world action can help build transformative solutions that will improve livelihoods and alleviate poverty.

The implementation of WOAH International Standards in Namibia has been providing a much-needed support to the economic growth. Namibia is export-oriented, which makes it essential for the country to comply with these recommendations.

Dr Anja Boshoff-De Witt, Manager Meat Standards at Meat Board of Namibia

WOAH Standards constitute a common language to achieve understanding and trust between countries. Their implementation along the production and supply chain is essential to develop national assurance systems minimising the potential risks associated with traded commodities posed to human or animal life or health in importing countries.

As a concrete example, demonstrating FMD-freedom based on International Standards and the official recognition of its status by the Organisation has facilitated the negotiations of Namibia with trading partners that are interested in livestock and meat, also enhancing a relationship of mutual trust. By implementing these Standards, Namibia has made rapid strides towards better animal health and safe livestock trade. Namibia’s beef exports have expanded to the European Union, Norway, People’s Republic of China, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. Livestock producers settled in the FMD-free zone have also seen new perspectives arise: the possibility to access the international market and thus to obtain higher prices for their livestock is a great incentive to enhance the livelihood of their families.

Livestock from the ‘FMD Infected and Protection zones’ may not move to the FMD free zone in Namibia. Livestock products may be moved from these zones to the free zone if prepared/processed in accordance with WOAH Standards. This includes the implementation of commodity-based trade for the movement of fresh beef. 

Today, Namibia is well on its way to positioning itself in the global meat marketplace. The country ranks 29th and 35th of the top beef exporting countries for fresh and frozen beef respectively, and it supplies 1.4% of global sheep and goat exports. It was also the first in the African continent to tap into the lucrative US market, after it sent 25 tonnes of beef to Philadelphia in early 2020.

Looking forward, Namibia is set to further use the standards to improve animal health and facilitate safe international trade. A major goal is to enhance the animal health situation in areas still at-risk of FMD – either addressing the problem posed by its porous border or establishing more zones that can gain freedom from FMD.  

In 2015, Namibia experienced one of its worst FMD outbreaks in the protection zone, which took nearly a year and $13 million to eradicate. WOAH Standards on zoning have helped address the outbreak and get the country back on its feet. The event offers both a lesson and a cautionary tale: animal health standards help address animal health challenges, unlocking economic potential and access to trade thereby securing a better future for everyone. Adapting them to national legislations and investing in their implementation hold key to a country’s boosted health situation and trade status.

Animal diseases: their impact on society

If a family in Madagascar loses a Zebu cow to disease, they are deprived of more than just the value of the animal. Cattle are often a lifeline for their owners. By providing milk for the household and working to plough fields and pull carts, they become an intimate part of family life. Animal diseases can also have ripple effects on trade, food supply, livelihoods and, ultimately, human health and well-being. Whilst these effects can be difficult to quantify, it is important to conduct this analysis so that we can address the needs of livestock keepers appropriately.

Therefore, the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH, founded as OIE) has partnered with the University of Liverpool (UoL) to promote the development of knowledge in animal health economics. The ultimate goal is to help Veterinary and Aquatic Animal Health Services have the greatest impact on people’s lives and national economies.

In 2021, WOAH and its partners have secured more than 7 million US dollars to roll-out the Global Burden of Animal Diseases (GBADs) programme. Through GBADs, we strive to understand both the direct and indirect costs of animal diseases in order to improve not only animal health and welfare but also human well-being, particularly in rural, agriculture-based communities. The burden includes effects on livestock populations and agriculture, costs of mitigation efforts and trader impacts.

“The GBADs programme will help Veterinary Services improve their investments in the strengthening of animal health systems, their allocation of resources, and also have a data structure so that they can evaluate past policies” explains Jonathan Rushton, Director of the Global Burden of Animal Diseases programme, based at the University of Liverpool, United Kingdom.

Bringing together economic science and veterinary knowledge

To date, estimates of the overall “burden” of animal diseases has proven limited due to a lack of a systematic and standardised process across countries and animal production systems. How do animal diseases affect human health and well-being? What are the positive socioeconomic consequences of implementing preventative measures over time? Answers can come only by merging knowledge from veterinary and economic sciences.

“If we know what we’re losing or what we’re spending, then we’ll have a fairly good idea to present business cases for investment from either governments, the private sector, or individual farmers” explains Jonathan Rushton, who is also a professor of animal health and food systems economics at the University of Liverpool. “It’s about investing in the right places to achieve best outcomes on managing risk”.

The GBADs programme is led by WOAH jointly with the University of Liverpool and implemented by organisations and universities that work at the crossroads of public policy, private sector, and academia.

This year, the programme has entered into a new phase. We have rolled out a framework on measuring animal health burdens, their impacts on human lives and economies, and begun a case study in Ethiopia. A second case study, in Indonesia, was also launched in addition to a knowledge engine prototype to test the tools that will provide us with relevant data in the future. Building on these achievements, we aim to publish initial estimates of animal diseases burdens at global and national levels in 2022.

In May 2021, we also launched our first Collaborating Centre for the Economics of Animal Health, bringing together the University of Liverpool, Utrecht University, and the Norwegian Veterinary Institute. This collaboration will facilitate data collection using a standardised and analytical approach. It will also support the development of capacities on animal health economics and similar centres of excellence in other regions of the world.

Animal health for better human development and well-being

Livestock and aquatic animals provide roughly 1.3 billion of the global population with income, nutritious food, clothing, fertilizer, building materials and traction power. Poor animal health also correlates with poverty and malnutrition. Furthermore, it directly impacts women in rural agriculture-based economies, who comprise two-thirds of low-income livestock keepers. Linking existing animal disease data to socioeconomic consequences, GBADs programme will identify how animal health impacts small household income, the empowerment of women, and the equitable provision of a safe, affordable, and nutritious diet.

The approach that merges the animal health and socioeconomic sectors is on track to guide our actions on the long-term. The data collected by the GBADs programme will ultimately contribute to more efficient animal production systems. It will also help all stakeholders identify the most devastating animal health issues to address in order to prevent ripple effects on livelihoods and the well-being of both humans and animals.

Learn more about the GBADs programme here.

Funding for the GBADs programme: the Australian government, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Brooke, European Union – DG SANTE, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Ireland, Italian Ministry of Health, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office, and the UK Department of Health and Social Care.

An article from the 2021 Annual report: read the original

Monkeypox has become the star of recent health news, affecting over 16,000 people in at least 75 countries around the world. Like many other diseases, such as COVID-19 which affected 23 different animal species, monkeypox could cross the species barrier and jump to domestic and wild animals, putting everyone’s health at risk. At the World Organisation for Animal Health, our mission is to improve animal health globally. As monkeypox endangers us all, we must insist on why and how precautions should be taken to reduce the risk of transmission to animals.

Although the current outbreak of monkeypox is driven by human-to-human contact, the disease is known to be of animal origin and can therefore be passed on to certain species.  Various wild mammals have been identified as susceptible to the monkeypox virus, such as rope squirrels, tree squirrels, Gambian pouched rats, dormice and non-human primates. While some of these species exhibit signs and symptoms of the disease, others might not show any external or visible signs, which makes it more challenging to identify spillover events.

Very recently, monkeypox was detected in a dog most likely as a result of human to animal transmission following close direct contact with its owners who were symptomatic with the disease. This was the first documented case of human to animal transmission of the virus. We must remain vigilant. In case of further spillback of the virus from infected humans to animals, new animal reservoirs could be established, and the virus could become endemic in new geographic areas, heightening future risks for public health as well.

The World Organisation for Animal Health is closely monitoring the situation, in coordination with its experts because the heightened prevalence in humans may increase the risk of transmission to animals, and affect the epidemiology of the disease.

Dr Monique Eloit, Director General at the World Organisation for Animal Health

Viral transmission from humans to animals is a possibility that we need to further investigate to understand how likely this is to happen. All settings where we interact closely with animals, like zoos, wildlife rehabilitation facilities, hiking trails or at home with our pets, can facilitate the virus jumping from us to them. The monkeypox virus can enter the body through skin lesions (even those invisible to the naked eye), respiratory tracts, or mucous membranes.

A few (and simple!) precautions must therefore be taken. Always ensure that all waste, including medical waste, is safely disposed of and made inaccessible to rodent or other scavenger animals. And, if you are suspected or confirmed to be infected with the monkeypox virus, you should avoid all direct contact with animals, including livestock, wildlife, and even your pets.

We all need to be cautious. Monkeypox is yet another example of how human and animal health are interconnected. Only with strong multi-sectoral collaboration between public health experts, veterinarians, and wildlife authorities can we tackle diseases such as monkeypox, and ensure a safe future for us all.

18 million tons, that is the weight of chicken eggs produced every year worldwide. Largely consumed for their protein intake, eggs are produced in sufficient quantities to meet the demand of all inhabitants of the planet and, very importantly, are available at a relatively cheap price compared to meat. However, their average cost has been rising lately, specifically in Europe and in North America, where production  costs have risen dramatically, and millions of laying hens have been infected with avian influenza since last October.  

For every inhabitant in the world, there is a laying hen producing eggs: we have enough to go around.

Ben Dellaert, Chairman of the avian influenza expert group, International Egg Commission (IEC)

According to the European Commission, egg prices have soared by around 22% in Europe and by 44% in the USA, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), compared to last year. Increased costs throughout the supply chain and the current lessened availability of feed and grains directly affected this rise in prices. However, avian influenza, or bird flu, has also played an undeniable part in this phenomenon in those regions, according to Ben Dellaert, from the International Egg Commission (IEC).

Bird flu is a severe viral disease that mainly affects poultry and wild birds, often causing death among flocks and leading to devastating socioeconomic impacts. Since October 2021, over 21 million cases in poultry were reported to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH, founded as OIE) in several regions of the world. Compared to previous years, this significant number is higher, and more birds have died.

Once bird flu hits a poultry farm, the disease can very easily spread among birds, and actions must be taken to mitigate its rapid transmission. One of the main containment measures is to cull birds that are infected but also healthy ones that are at risk of acquiring the disease, because of potential direct or indirect contact with infected birds. This year, some outbreaks have led to the culling of thousands of birds. For example, the Netherlands reported 33,000 cases of bird flu and, in order to mitigate its spread, over 2 million domesticated birds were put to death. This inevitably affects the egg production capacity. High mortality among laying hens, whether due to the disease itself or the culling measures, has a direct consequence on the number of eggs that can be produced. Looking closer at the USA’s case, the country has now lost 25 million laying hens, reducing their total egg production by 8%. This drop in production capacity causes a financial loss for egg producers, thus leading to a rise in egg prices.  

As they are often the first group affected by this issue, we need to reflect on the impacts this type of disease has on farmers. While it is normal to consider the financial effects on farmers as they suffer a decrease in their activity and income due to the impact of avian influenza on their flock, there are secondary effects too. Ben Dellaert from IEC reminds us of the additional emotional impact:

When your animals die of this disease, and you have to get rid of them, it’s always a terrible thing to experience for the farmer.

Ben Dallert, Chairman of the avian influenza expert group, International Egg Commission (IEC)

Furthermore, when your farm has not yet been infected with bird flu, you also live with this constant threat that it might get to your birds. 

Besides eggs, we can also expect other commodities, like poultry meat, to become less available and more expensive for the same reasons. This situation shows us that animal diseases, such as bird flu, can disrupt livelihoods and economies and threaten food security worldwide. Putting in place prevention measures, such as setting up appropriate surveillance and enhancing biosecurity in farms, is therefore key to avoid further negative impacts. 

It is winter, you feel tired, you have a headache, muscle aches and a sore throat. You know flu season is ongoing. Every year, usually during the fall and winter, millions of people around the world get sick with the flu, short for influenza. Today, vaccination represents one of the most well-known means to protect humans against the viruses that are each year responsible for hundreds of thousands of seasonal flu infections. Flu viruses, including those in animals, continuously evolve and vaccines may become inefficient against them. To remain effective, new vaccines need to be developed periodically. Every six months, the composition of the human vaccines against flu is reevaluated, based on data collected through the surveillance of virus strains circulating in humans, but also in animals, in particular for the strains that can become zoonotic.

Stemming the spread of seasonal flu with vaccination

Responsible for around 5 million cases of serious illness, and 290,000 to 650,000 global human deaths annually, seasonal flu continues to be a major public health concern. These annual epidemics are fueled by the flu viruses’ ability to continuously evolve. Their properties can change, the viruses can become more transmissible and current vaccines against them may be less effective.

Since the 1940s, 80 years ago, medical research has made available an effective measure to fight the flu: an annual vaccine. Vaccination remains a top recommendation from the World Health Organization (WHO), especially for people who are most at risk, and there are many reasons as to why. First off, receiving a flu shot keeps numerous people from getting influenza symptoms, and for those who still get sick, they usually experience less severe illness.  As an example, in the United States of America, during the 2019-2020 period, flu vaccination prevented an estimated 7.5 million flu cases. But perhaps the most important reason of all is that getting vaccinated helps mitigate the spread of the disease, by obtaining population immunity.

Twice a year, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and its partners contribute to the surveillance of flu viruses in animals including those that have pandemic potential for humans, by collecting and analysing data on these viruses, such as avian influenza. We help ensure that, should these viruses with zoonotic potential make the jump from animals to humans, leading to a pandemic, the appropriate vaccine is rapidly developed with the best protection possible.

Considering avian influenza viruses to develop human vaccines

Effective vaccination requires that both human and animal sectors conduct significant surveillance and be on the lookout for animal viruses with zoonotic potential, which could possibly not match the strains used in current flu vaccines. When such viruses are found, it is paramount that they are considered to make pre-pandemic vaccines. In this regard, the WHO shares biannual recommendations on the updated composition of flu vaccines, taking into account OIE’s knowledge on the circulation of animal influenza viruses.

Animal influenzas, such as avian influenza, share genetic similarities with the human flu viruses. Because of their potential to evolve genetically and be passed to humans, avian influenza viruses are considered a public health concern. Avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu, and human influenza are linked within a complex system. Their constant evolution calls for significant surveillance to gather the necessary data to develop the vaccines. Setting international standards on surveillance, the OIE works with global partners like WHO and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) as well as its Reference Laboratories to collect scientific information on animal flu viruses. The OIE also encourages countries to report outbreaks of avian influenza and share their data through its World Animal Health Information System (WAHIS).

When the animal health sector takes the lead

“To ensure that the impact and risks for animals and humans are kept to a minimum, it is vital that the animal health sector takes the lead in monitoring influenza viruses in animals, in analysing the data, and in sharing this information with the international community.”

Dr Gounalan Pavade, Scientific coordinator for avian influenza, World Organisation for Animal Health

In the process of developing human vaccines, veterinary expertise is key. As a part of its long-standing mandate, the OIE ensures the dissemination of animal health scientific information. This data is collected through WAHIS and supplemented with genetic and antigenic data by OIE Reference laboratories and national animal health laboratories in countries all over the world. This international contribution allows crucial information from the animal health sector to be used by WHO to determine and update their recommendations for human vaccines against flu viruses of concern.

Moreover, since 2005, the joint OIE-FAO scientific network on animal influenza (OFFLU) works bilaterally with Reference and national laboratories experts worldwide to encourage the publication of data related to animal influenza strains on publicly accessible databases. Undeniably, to analyse and exchange scientific data on animal influenzas with the wider scientific community is crucial to update the vaccines and adapt them to circulating field viruses.

And the veterinary work does not stop there. Annually, the OFFLU network provides the WHO Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System (GISRS) -those in charge of recommending the strains to use in human flu vaccines- with molecular and epidemiological data to support the selection of the next vaccine’s composition to make human vaccines that could prevent a pandemic. 

How the pandemic potential of the flu calls for a One Health approach

“Avian flu is a very telling example of a disease that can affect both humans and animals. Considering together the epidemiology and the characteristics of the viruses circulating in both animals and humans, and how the transmission patterns can be influenced by the environment, is key to address the disease efficiently: this is the basis of the One Health approach.”

Dr Lina Awada, veterinary epidemiologist at the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE)

Over the past few decades, the transmission of flu viruses across different species has been observed. Notably, humans have been infected with bird flu on a number of occasions, including the episode of global concern in 2005/2006 when the subtype H5N1 had a peak of spread to humans. Even if the risk of bird flu transmission to humans remains low, these sporadic zoonotic infections remind us that the threat of an influenza pandemic persists. In this COVID-19 era, we cannot let our guard drop, and must work towards international collaboration on disease control and response, across sectors. To best prepare against a future pandemic, the world must adopt a One Health approach, that considers human health, animal health and environmental health as interdependent.

3 facts about influenzas
Flu is short for influenza
The first known influenza pandemic struck in 1580
The first vaccine against the flu was developed 80 years ago, in the 1940s

La Méthode Scientifique (The Scientific Method) – by Nicolas Martin. France Culture, Radio France Group. La grippe aviaire : mon rhume en plumes – Avian influenza : my feather cold · 14.02.2022 

Better known as bird flu, avian influenza has been getting a lot of interest worldwide. Currently at the peak of its season and responsible for grave impacts on domestic and wild birds and our lives, bird flu deserves attention from everyone.  

Reporter at the radio France Culture, Antoine Beauchamp met with us at the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), to interview our very own veterinary epidemiologist, Dr Lina Awada, on the matter. 

The broadcast focuses on the current global bird flu situation, the role of our Organisation and the measures we need to take to stem the disease. 

Listen to our 3 highlights below to learn more: 

• Countries are responsible for setting up appropriate surveillance on their territory, following OIE International Standards; 
• Reporting of bird flu outbreaks in a timely manner to the OIE is crucial; 
• After validation, the OIE shares the outbreaks alerts publicly, so the international community can be better prepared against the disease. 

• Biosecurity measures and good hygiene practices in farms and live bird markets are essential to prevent the disease; 
• Once outbreaks of bird flu are detected, control measures can be put in place, as described in the OIE International Standards. 

Bird flu can affect both humans and animals; 

We thus need to tackle bird flu under a One Health approach, that considers human health, animal health and environmental as interdependent.  

Access the whole show here (in French) 

Dr Maryam Muhammad has always been drawn to the world of science. When she first enrolled in a veterinary course, she was told that there was no chance for her to succeed. Out of 42 people, she was the only woman in her class. A bumpy start did not stop Dr Muhammad from pursuing her passion. After graduating and completing the Nigeria’s National Youth Service Corps programme, she was offered an array of jobs, from teaching to research, before landing a leadership position.

Today, Dr Muhammad is the Director of the National Veterinary Research Institute (NVRI) of Vom, in Central Nigeria, a prominent facility pioneering research, diagnosis, treatment and control of economically important diseases in the country. Her story of achievements takes on special importance as International Day of Women and Girls in Science is celebrated across the globe today.

Empowering women to embrace STEM subjects in school

Women scientists in some parts of the world are often concentrated in the lower echelons of responsibility and decision-making with limited leadership opportunities in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). In sub-Saharan Africa, the numbers are remarkably low, sometimes as result of gender imbalance in education at all levels.

Although much has changed in her lifetime, Dr Muhammad believes that it is a mix of societal and bureaucratic challenges that still prevents the young women of Nigeria from being exposed to science. Animal health is no exception. Dr Muhammad recalls that female students would often be told that only selected specialties were suited to them.

“We need to instill confidence in women and make them understand that there is nothing they cannot do. Science is an adventure. Women need to know that there is a world of wonders waiting to be explored.

Dr Maryam Muhammad

When it comes to pushing for change, everyone gets a seat at the table. Dr Muhammad is adamant that mentorship lies at the heart of diversity and inclusion. “It is important that women understand the challenges they will likely face as they embark on this journey. By investing in peer-to-peer mentorship, they can be inspired by other women’s stories, create networks of resilience and feel driven to advance their knowledge by looking at diverse role models”.

But getting girls and women more interested in science is not enough: the support needs to come from within the institutions. With most women getting married and giving birth at a young age, Nigeria scores high internationally when it comes to female school dropouts. The government, Dr Muhammad suggests, must make a deliberate effort to make women in their early reproductive years feel welcomed enough to return to finish their studies after a pregnancy, increasing the number of all-girls schools where necessary.

An inclusive workplace

Gendered expectations are among the barriers to female participation in the labour market. Women are traditionally more likely to perceive a successful career and building a family as mutually exclusive, if compared to their male counterparts.

Dr Muhammad believes that it has become urgent for male employers to educate themselves on making their workspaces less discriminatory. Favourable working conditions are indeed a key contributor to the well-being of female professionals who are eager to make positive contributions to society.

Yet in the animal health sector, where women are notably sidetracked by bias and discrimination, more needs to be done. Dr Muhammad explains that the female talent pool is often dissuaded from choosing a career in science during the recruitment process. There is a widespread perception that working with cattle or in laboratories will put women at risk of being exposed to hazardous materials and keep them away from their families. Removing gender bias in the labour market thus remains a prominent challenge. “Along with changing attitudes within the workplace, we need clear job descriptions to let us choose for ourselves our path in life.”

A vet lab of one’s own

Nigeria seems to have an ambitious agenda for gender equality in laboratories. As the country faces a growing demand in vaccines for livestock and poultry, female health workers are set to play a crucial role in upscaling production capacity at a regional and national level. Dr Muhammad explains that special attention will be given to ensuring that female animal health workers are trained to do the job and adequately represented in this effort. In rural Nigeria, where women are actively involved in animal production, high-quality vaccines against viral diseases such as peste des petits ruminants (PPR) will also help increase household incomes and improve livelihoods. Vaccines will then act as both an essential service and the enabler of socio-economic opportunities.

Last year, Nigeria requested the implementation of a ‘Sustainable Laboratories mission’ to the OIE. Supported by Global Affairs Canada’s Weapons Threat Reduction Program, the initiative seeks to assess the sustainability of veterinary laboratories and to help them identify solutions to implement OIE International Standards. The mission struck a responsive chord among the laboratory´s staff last November. It helped identify gaps in existing resources, the kind of investments that are needed, the opportunities for innovation and the actions to advance sustainably in Nigeria’s veterinary laboratories.

Dr Muhammad believes that sustainability is a major factor contributing to gender equality in science-related environments. “Investing in sustainable labs will improve the lives of women”, she points out. This is because, by granting women in the biological threats reduction field a safe space, they will be empowered to pursue related careers and make a significant impact on their communities. At the same time, equal opportunity to education and leadership positions is key to ensuring that the challenges posed by the lack of sustainability in laboratories are better addressed. Systems that exclude a part of the workforce from contributing with their diverse experience and perspectives will hinder advancements towards sustainability.

Today, Dr. Muhammad believes that there is a whole new generation of female professionals helping each other to fight back the status quo and carrying their vision for change forward. Her story of passion and persistence is a testament to an ever-growing number of women, in Nigeria and elsewhere in the region, who are big achievers in STEM. “Women in the country are proving themselves in every field,” she says. “As we move forward into a future of innovations, no effort should be spared in opening new doors for them”.

Digital transformation is identified as a key objective in the World Organisation for Animal Health’s Seventh Strategic Plan, and is an important response to the need to become a more modern and agile organisation. This is a vital shift in view of the increasing use of information technologies to support regulation for animal health, animal welfare and veterinary public health.

WOAH is responsible for the collection, analysis and dissemination of a large volume of official data, through various platforms and processes. WOAH data support both national decision-makers and the international community in making evidence-based decisions. Managing data to provide added value is becoming an increasingly complex and digitally driven task. It requires organisations that are responsible for compiling, managing and communicating data to do so from a structured and strategic perspective, in line with best international practices.

In recognition of its role as a steward of global animal health data, WOAH must ensure that its data governance systems manage data securely and provide access to validated data sets for the international community. It is hoped that, in this way, these data will become a valuable resource from which important insights and information can be gained: a process helped by ensuring compatibility with data from other trusted external sources. The development of a strong digital culture will be crucial to driving innovative data use and supporting the digital transformation of WOAH.

At present, WOAH is defining its expectations of data stewardship through the establishment of a data governance framework. These expectations include demonstrating responsible management of data and enhancing access to data for Members while respecting concerns for privacy and intellectual property. This work will provide essential organisation-wide rules and processes while also determining the development and direction of each of our key information systems, including those contributed to regularly by WOAH Members (e.g. World Animal Health Information System; antimicrobial usage; Performance of Veterinary Services; official recognition of animal health status).

The WOAH Observatory will use data from multiple WOAH work-streams, and also from external sources. Developing prototypes helps us to understand what data already exist, and in what forms; how analytical processes applied to these data can serve WOAH Observatory’s objectives; and how the results of these analyses can be presented to OIE work-stream managers and WOAH Members to provide the greatest impact in driving better implementation of the WOAH international standards. Prototyping will enable each of the OIE work-streams identified in WOAH Observatory’s standards monitoring framework to be ready to make systematic and ongoing contributions to WOAH Observatory annual standards implementation report.

WOAH Observatory is providing the impetus for the development of information systems that support data interoperability, repeatable value-added analytical processes, intuitive and informative data visualisations, and feedback loops for system improvements. In this way, WOAH Observatory is acting as a strong driving force for digital transformation and data stewardship across WOAH’s Member-centred programmes.

An article from WOAH Bulletin:read the original

The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) are partners in an international project to build sustainable global resilience against animal health emergencies caused by agro-terrorism and agro-crime.

Established in October 2018, the project aims to foster coordination at the national, regional, and international levels. It focuses on regions where the previous work of the three organisations has identified gaps in various aspects of emergency management that may make countries vulnerable to agro-crime and agro-terrorism. The target regions include the Middle East, North Africa and South-East Asia. However, while the project concentrates on these regions, its outputs will be relevant to all countries worldwide.

To ensure that the resulting capacity building is fit for purpose, the project is currently assessing the global situation for emergency management by identifying areas that are vulnerable to agro-crime and agro-terrorism; understanding the cost-effectiveness of investing in preparedness; and using OIE, FAO and INTERPOL tools to examine emergency management, including the relationship between the law enforcement and veterinary sectors.

Based on this evidence, the project team is designing tools, workshops, and simulation exercises to pilot in the target regions. Training will include workshops on the principles of emergency management, including how to design, deliver and learn from a simulation exercise, how to write a contingency plan, and how to command and control the situation during an agro-terrorism event. To test capacity at the national and regional levels, tabletop simulation exercises will be held, based on an agro-crime or agro-terrorism scenario. All activities will include participants from both the law enforcement and veterinary sectors.

These activities will culminate in an international simulation exercise to test coordination and communication at the national level (of selected countries), as well as at the regional and international levels. The exercise will be designed around the response to an agro-terrorism scenario in which law enforcement and veterinary sectors must cooperate.

Finally, a Global Conference on Emergency Management will be held at the end of the project to showcase the project’s activities to a large multisectoral and interdisciplinary audience. The project partners hope to rally support from the international community to adopt an all-hazards approach to animal health emergencies; promote the inclusion of Veterinary Services in whole-of-government emergency and disaster frameworks by enhancing coordination between the law enforcement and veterinary sectors; and to foster a much stronger international emergency management network.

Thanks to the Weapons Threat Reduction Program (WTRP) of Global Affairs Canada for supporting this project.

An article from the OIE Bulletin: read the original

Over the last six years, Namibia has developed and implemented a national strategy to tackle rabies, with technical support from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) and the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut (FLI) in Germany, as well as funding from the German Government. The country has significantly reduced the number of rabies cases. 

Namibia has shown its commitment to the fight against dog-mediated rabies for several years. Recently, during the 88th General Session of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), the World Assembly endorsed Namibia’s Official Control Programme for dog-mediated rabies, the country’s roadmap to beating the virus through careful planning and health strategy. To receive such endorsement, countries need to comply with WOAH International Standards, and their applications are carefully reviewed by the Organisation to verify the efficiency of the measures in place. This great achievement will be a strong asset for Namibia in advocating and getting support to further implement their control programme.   

Challenges to rabies elimination in Namibia 

The rabies virus has long concerned both animal and human health authorities in the Southern African Development Community (SADC), comprised of 16 Member States including Namibia, where there are an estimated 6,300 human deaths from rabies per year. Children are especially vulnerable to the disease. Luckily, an exposed person able to receive appropriate anti-rabies treatment (post-exposure prophylaxis) after a bite can make a full recovery, but timing is key. Yet, one of the challenges in Namibia is that sparsely populated northern regions, where rabies is particularly endemic in dogs, also has limited access to medical care.  

Rabies is a zoonosis, meaning it can pass from animals to humans. Indeed, around 99% of human rabies cases are due to dog bites, so encouraging dog vaccination and more largely, responsible dog ownership, is key to combatting this deadly disease. 

This is not always easy to implement as, in the Northern Communal Areas of Namibia, many people still practice a nomadic lifestyle in search of grazing areas for their herds. Their destination and timing have been shifting due to climate change, and as a result, it is harder for government officials such as the Veterinary Services to coordinate effective rabies elimination campaigns in the needed areas. Recent animal disease outbreaks in other species have also compounded these challenges, straining the available budget to cover foot and mouth disease (FMD) outbreaks, as well as respond to the COVID-19 crisis.  

In working to combat dog-mediated rabies, Namibia officials needed to confront numerous issues simultaneously. Establishing accurate figures on the number of dogs and their vaccination rate in different regions has proved challenging, a direct result of high turn-over in the dog population. The accuracy of those figures and the high turn-over rate affect how a country can measure its success in dog vaccination.   

Namibia makes strides against rabies 

Despite these challenges, Namibia has made enormous progress in reducing the number of cases of rabies in dogs and thereby in humans within the framework of their national strategy. They started their first rabies vaccination campaign in May 2016 and were able to roll-out within the 263,000 km² of the eight Northern Communal Areas by 2017. This region was targeted as a priority because rabies is highly concentrated in its dog population. Already the project has shown results as the number of human rabies deaths in this region dropped from 23 in 2015 (higher than the national average) prior to the project, to only two in 2019.  

To further their efforts, the World Organisation for Animal Health, with the generous support of the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture, donated 650,000 doses of rabies vaccine to help drive their mass dog vaccination campaigns, a core component of an efficient rabies elimination strategy. Dr Nehemia Hedimbi, the coordinator of rabies campaigns for Namibia, described that while receiving doses is critical, there are also many other challenges that the national Veterinary Services must consider in the deployment of a successful campaign. Mainly this includes the training of vaccinators and animal technicians in all regions, the shortage of transportation and available workforce, as well as the mobilisation of resources needed for the vaccination campaigns. Hoping to assuage some of these needs, over the years, WOAH has provided technical and coordination support to veterinarians in the organisation of the rabies campaigns drives and has supplied needed tools to get the job done efficiently, such as diagnostic materials and electronics. 

Cross-Border Collaboration 

The Veterinary Authorities of Namibia did not work in isolation. Knowing that the porous border between Angola and Namibia allow for the propagation of rabies in dogs in both countries, the two teamed up in their elimination efforts. By 2019, they had come together to conduct a joint technical committee between their national Veterinary Services. The two countries developed a rabies elimination plan for Southern Angola and a cross-border harmonisation plan, both of which are meant to help lessen the incidence of dog-mediated rabies. To further this result, WOAH donated 140,000 doses of rabies vaccine to Angola with the support of the European Union. Reflecting on the experience, Dr Hedimbi is pleased with their progress noting that working with other nations on a common health problem can be tricky. “Other countries have different priorities,” he says. “Some countries do not have a National Rabies Control Strategy and some lack vaccination campaigns.” In a true South-to-South collaboration, Namibia provided technical support to Angola on rabies, and shared rabies vaccines for dogs. They also invited Angolan colleagues to planning and monitoring meetings on rabies to stay informed. Most importantly, both countries are now in constant contact to inform of new rabies cases along their shared border.  

The pathway to dog-mediated rabies elimination in Namibia 

Looking forward, Namibia will not be slowing down their efforts, hoping that rabies elimination lies not too far in their future. Dr Hedimbi is optimistic, relating that “if Namibia dedicates the necessary resources and efforts, dog-mediated rabies will soon be reduced to the elimination stage”. This would include hosting more dog vaccination campaigns, improving dog population management and certainly implementing more awareness campaigns in the country, as well as working hand in hand with the human health sector under a One Health approach. Every year Namibia will share an annual progress report on these rabies activities with WOAH to receive reconfirmation of their status which will further governmental advocacy. With the WOAH endorsement of their Official Control Programme, the country is well on its way to creating a safer, healthier future for its citizens, both human and canine.