FAO Partnerships on health risk and control of influenza and emerging

zoonoses

SAAHRI Meeting, April 3, 2013

Cairo, Egypt

Yilma Jobre Makonnen

Presentation Outline

FAO - Animal Health Service

FAO’s Partners and collaborations

Emphasis on OFFLU

An overview on ‘One Health’

The situation in Egypt Current and planned work

FAO - Animal Health Service Functional Units

EMPRES-Animal Health

ECTAD – AGA and TCE

CMC-AH – AGA and TCE

Regional support units

VPH Group – zoonotic diseases, food-borne, endemic disease burdens (‘neglected zoonoses”)

Parasite/Vector Group (endemic disease burdens; production diseases)

FAO’s Partners and collaborations GOs (MoALR, MoHP,….)

NGOs

UN Agencies (WHO, UNICEF, UNSIC, …)

Other International Organizations (NAMRU-3, CDC, … )

Donors

FAO-WHO-OIE Collaboration

GF-TADs – FAO/OIE

GLEWS – FAO/OIE/WHO

OIE’s WAHIS and WAHID Contributes

INFOSAN (WHO-FAO) National and regional food safety issues

OFFLU – OIE-FAO Expertise in Animal Influenza

OIE Thematic Working Group –Animal Production and Food Safety (FAO-WHO participate)

FAO Biological Safety Risks (WHO contributes)

Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) – Joint FAO-WHO Food standards Program (OIE Contributes)

The Global Framework for Progressive Control of Transboundary Animal Diseases (GF-TADs)

GF-TADs is a joint FAO/OIE initiative

Combines the strengths of both organizations to achieve agreed common objectives.

It’s a facilitation mechanism that will endeavour to:

empower regional alliances in the fight against TADs

provide for capacity building

assist in establishing programmes for the specific control of certain TADs based on regional priorities

Major contribution to the global eradication of Rinderpest

Cont…

With EUFMD Secretariat at FAO HQs, FAO and OIE promote PCP for FMD control

8

OIE official data

FAO animal Health information

Unofficial information - Rumors

The Global Early Warning System (GLEWS)

It is a joint system that builds

on the added value of combining and coordinating the alert and disease intelligence mechanisms of OIE, FAO and WHO for the international community and stakeholders to assist in prediction, prevention and control of animal disease threats, including zoonoses, through sharing of information, epidemiological analysis and joint risk assessment

OFFLU

It’s an OIE-FAO global network of expertise on animal influenza

Aims to reduce the negative impacts of animal influenza viruses by promoting effective collaboration between animal and public health sectors

Implemented the vaccine efficacy project with NLQP and other Partners

Currently partnering in the DOC vaccination study

OFFLU Objectives

• Offer technical advice and veterinary expertise to Member Countries

• Exchange scientific data and biological materials between vet labs

• Highlight, promote development and ensure coordination of avian influenza research needs

• Collaborate with the WHO influenza network

OFFLU Technical Expertise Ten OIE/FAO Reference Laboratories (and CC) for

Avian/animal influenza and Newcastle

Open network; expertise from diagnostic laboratories, research and academic institutes (virology, epidemiology, vaccinology, and molecular biology)

Two OFFLU focal points (FAO and OIE)

OFFLU dedicated scientists

OFFLU geographical focal points (regional)

Expert groups for technical activities

Technical meetings with OFFLU contributors, mailing

OFFLU network animal influenza laboratories

OFFLU laboratories include OIE Reference Laboratories for avianinfluenza and for equine influenza, FAO Reference Centres for avianinfluenza, and OFFLU regional laboratory contacts for swineinfluenza and avian influenza

OFFLU technical activities1. Biosafety and biosecurity*

2. Applied epidemiology*

3. Diagnostic kits

4. H5 standard sera

5. RNA standards*

6. Vaccines/Vaccination

7. Proficiency testing*

8. Capacity building

9. Swine influenza group*

10. Gene observatory** activities which involve WHO

7. Proficiency testing (PT) Guidance on harmonisation of approaches

to PT for AI diagnosis

A questionnaire sent to organizers of proficiency tests to see how OFFLU labs organize them and how to standardise

Review of PT results in various regions (Africa, Europe, SE Asia, the US) to provide a global picture of vet labs

First PT for OIE/FAO Ref labs/centres (organized by NVSL and FLI) in 2011

8. Capacity Building

Development of an OFFLU training facility on the OFFLU website (links,

videos, e-learning influenza module)

Tools for candidate selection

Follow-up of training

OFFLU directory of trainings and trainees

To harmonize training and improve training efficacy

9. OFFLU swine influenza group Created in 2010

Group includes leading animal health and public health researchers

• To address targeted influenza surveillance in pigs, harmonize approaches, advocate for increased targeted surveillance in pigs, and provide a platform for data exchange

10. Gene Observatory ‘One Flu’

great role to be played by the animal health sector at the human-animal interface

based on strengthened linkage between epidemiology geo/temporal and molecular data

support risk assessment for animal/human influenza threats

The genetic module of the FAO Empres-i database

Automatic transfer of data

Virus information

OpenFluDB

Sequence ID number

EMPRES-i

Virus information

OFFLU technical projects

• 2 projects on selection of avian influenza vaccines types/strains: Indonesia and Egypt (implemented by FAO)

• 1 project on validation of LAMP testing (implemented by FLI)

• Evaluation of a pseudotype-based neutralization assay (30% FAO funded, implemented by IZSVe)

OIE Resolution (May 2008) ‘Sharing of AI viral

material and information in support of global AI prevention and control’

Ongoing collaborative projects and exchanges

Encourage the use of several publicly available databases that meet OFFLU’s needs

Supporting shipment of materials (empres-shipping-service@fao.org)

MTA available on OFFLU website

Sharing of information and material

OFFLU and sequence databases

OFFLU advocates the use of publicly available sequence databases

A list is of databases is available on the website

Scientists should choose the one that best suits their needs

Collaboration with WHO: animal-human interface

Sharing of important surveillance data and technical information (GLEWS platform)

Joint OFFLU-WHO meetings/conferences/projects

OFFLU involvement in WHO meetings and vice-versa

Joint decisions (eg virus nomenclature)

OFFLU/WHO Technical collaboration

WHO influenza Vaccine Composition Meeting

Formalization (since January 2010) of OFFLU contribution

Develop a mechanism; coordination with OFFLU contributors

3 OFFLU labs: AAHL, IZSVe, VLA for Hi testing with ferret antisera

FAO : technical platform for collection and review of epi and virus information

Examine implications of WHO frameworks for animal health labs, eg PIP framework

OFFLU experts participate in WHO working groups and WHO experts to OFFLU Technical Activities

Contribution to the WHO Influenza Research Agenda

Ecosystem Health

AnimalHealth

HumanHealth

One Health

The ‘One Health’ approach can be best defined

as a collaborative, international, cross-sectoral,

multidisciplinary mechanism to address threats

and reduce risks of detrimental infectious

diseases at the animal-human-ecosystem

interface.

Disease emergence can no longer be seen in isolation but must now be viewed

alongside a continuum of climatic changes, natural resource management, agricultural

intensification, land utilization patterns, trade globalization, and shifting farming, food

distribution and marketing systems.

Multidisciplinarity of One Health

Marketing and Trade

Socio-Economics

Agro-Ecosystemsand Land Use

Fisheries

Policies and Legislation

Policies and Legislation

AnimalProduction and Feed Safety

Animal Health and Food Safety

Wildlife

Domestic

public health

food

farming

scavengers -birds

rodentscarnivoresbats

insects

foodchain

naturallandscape

waste

farming landscape

food cycle

health

WHO

IFA – EMPRES/

FCC MF

OIE

FAO/WHO

Codex

IUCN, MEA, UNEP

AGAH

animal health

eco-health

food safety

IPPC

IPM

Marketing and Trade

Socio-Economics

Agro-Ecosystemsand Land Use

Fisheries

Policies and Legislation

Policies and Legislation

AnimalProduction and Feed Safety

Animal Health and Food Safety

Wildlife

Domestic

Agriculture and Consumer Protection

Natural Resources Mgmt and Environment

Forestry

Technical Cooperation

Communications

Legal Service

Economic and Social Development

Fisheriesand Aquaculture

One

Health

Setting the scene - Egypt

•High poultry population and density

•A/H5N1 reportedly introduced in 2006, currently widespread and

endemic

•Weak biosecurity

•Huge mistrust between the public and private sector – weak PPP

•Disease prevalence high and sporadic human infections

•Heavy reliance on AI vaccination without any monitoring (currently 41

vaccines on market)

•Various measures put in place proved ineffective

• need to reinvigorate the entire animal health system and create an

enabling environment for disease control

Revised Strategy

Animal Health and Livelihood Sustainability Strategy

Revised 2010

Joint United Nations Assessment of Government of Egypt H5N1 Control Efforts6-16 December 2009

Animal Health and Livelihood Sustainability Strategy (Revised 2010)

• Paradigm shift in thinking: From emergency to longer-term risk reduction

• Phased approach of critical measures along the poultry value and market chain

• Control

• Consolidation

• Elimination/eradication

• Challenges in implementation

• Strategy is still valid and serves as reference for HPAI endemic countries

Current and planned work

• Sustaining essential animal health activities (Epidemiology, Biosecurity and coordination) – awaiting the enabling conditions for full-scale implementation of the revised strategy

• Rationalizing the AI vaccination strategy in Egypt

• Advocate for close collaboration with the private sector

• Promote and value effective vaccine/vaccination and monitoring - with an exit strategy

• Assess the potential use of DOC vaccine using HVT AI Vectored vaccine for the control of A/H5N1 HPAI in Egypt

• Promoting public-private partnerships (PPP) and 4-way linking between the animal and public health sectors

• Strengthen institutional capacity and harmonization of response actions