Banjul — In the first such workshop hosted
jointly by U.S. Africa Command, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and U.S.
Agency for International Development (USAID), lab technicians and
epidemiologists from five West African nations gathered June 4-8, 2012, in
Banjul ,The Gambia, to learn techniques and share insights around combating
transboundary animal diseases.
Transboundary animal diseases cross borders
and hinder the production of livestock, which is a critical component of
African nations' economies and food supplies. Some animal diseases also pose a
serious health risk to humans.
More than 20 participants from Ghana,
Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and The Gambia focused on six diseases: peste
des petite ruminants, African swine fever, contagious bovine pleuropneumonia,
foot-and-mouth disease, Newcastle disease and highly pathogenic avian influenza
This was not a week of lectures; instructors from Senegal, Cameroon and South
Africa led practical teachings on the surveillance, diagnosis, prevention and
control of each of the six diseases. The workshop was designed to help build
capacity in partner African nations to control and prevent these devastating
diseases.
Workshop topics ranged from methods of
physically examining live animals to performing necropsies on poultry, goats,
and a pig to collecting the correct tissue samples for later testing. For many
participants, it was the first time they received professional instruction in
such techniques as drawing blood or performing a necropsy on a pig.
Representatives from each country also took
turns presenting their current issues and methods for data collection and
information sharing.
"The countries are very willing to help
each other," explained Dr. Connie Bacon, Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS)
advisor with USAID/USDA for West Africa and the principal organizer of the
event. "They realize that not one country will solve an animal disease. It
really needs to be a regional and subregional effort."
According to the UN's Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO), transboundary animal diseases account for 20 percent
productivity loss in sub-Saharan Africa. The impact of these diseases further
weaken already vulnerable areas and can undermine the stability of a fragile
region.
For example, according to the UN Refugee
Agency, the turmoil in northern Mali recently has led to the displacement of
more than 300,000 people -- and their livestock.
Those livestock now risk being exposed to
different diseases in a new area as well as transmitting any diseases they
might be carrying. "It's a perfect environment for transboundary animal
diseases to take hold," said Bacon, pointing out, "Really, the situation
in Mali has changed the whole livestock profile of the region."
Three representatives from U.S. Africa
Command attended the workshop: Dr. (Lieutenant Colonel) Clayton Chilcoat, the
command veterinarian; Bruce Zanin, USDA/FAS agriculture and food security
advisor; and Daniel Kasmierski, Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD)
science and technology advisor.
"It was a really tremendous
effort," said Zanin. He attended all the session and, along with the other
AFRICOM attendees, provided additional insight.
As well as learning useful techniques, the
participants also gained valuable connections to each other, Zanin said.
"Their problems are shared problems," he said. "They have to
work with their governments and their bureaucracies" to articulate their
needs and the importance of tackling these diseases.
The workshop was organized by USDA's Animal
and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Office for West and Central Africa,
in collaboration with USAID and the Ministry of Agriculture of The Gambia. It
was supported by U.S. Africa Command as part of a broader infectious
disease-focused initiative.
"I think it was a learning experience
for everyone," said Bacon.
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