7th Meeting of the Upper Mekong Working Group on Foot and Mouth Disease Zoning and Animal Movement Management
(Chiang Rai, Thailand, 23-25 January 2008)
The Meeting was attended by 55 participants from the Member Countries (Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, plus Yunnan Province, P.R. China) of the Upper Mekong Working Group and relevant international/regional/national organisations including the OIE Regional Commission for Asia, the Far East and Oceania, OIE Asia-Pacific, OIE SEAFMD, FAO Regional Representation for Asia and the Pacific, FMD Regional Reference Laboratory, Packchong, Thailand, ACIAR, Australian Animal Health Laboratory (AAHL), Murdoch University, AusAID and AusVet Animal Health Services.
All the participants were welcomed during the Opening Session by Dr Gardner Murray, President of the OIE Regional Commission for Asia, the Far East and Oceania, Dr Teruhide Fujita, OIE Regional Representative for Asia and the Pacific, and Dr Thanit Anekwit, Deputy Director General, Department of Livestock Development (DLD), Thailand (the host country).
Dr Ronello Abila, SEAFMD Regional Coordinator, reported the summary of the outcome of the previous workshop and progress of FMD control in Southeast Asia, followed by the reports of the participants from various organisations including OIE Asia-Pacific (on Activities for Animal Health of the OIE Regional Representation for Asia and the Pacific), FAO Regional Representation for Asia and the Pacific, ACIAR, AAHL and Murdoch University. Each Member Country also presented its country progress report on FMD control.
The serotype O of FMD is most common in Southeast Asia (Thailand, Laos in 2007, Vietnam in 2006-2007 and sporadic outbreaks in Malaysia and Myanmar), while serotype A has been reported in some countries such as Thailand (yearly outbreak), Malaysia (2003) and Vietnam (2004). Serotype Asia-1 is also indigenous in the region and sporadic outbreaks in Myanmar and Vietnam, however, no occurrence has been seen in Thailand, Laos, Malaysia or Cambodia since 2000.
The Meeting re-affirmed the validity of the approach taken by the Upper Mekong Working Group on FMD zoning and animal movement management and also the need to apply the SEAFMD Minimum Standards Definition and Rules in setting up control zones, and noted the progress of the Member Countries FMD control activities. Thus the Member Countries agreed to the general programme directions for 2008 as presented by the delegates.
The Meeting noted the OIE/AusAID Programme on Strengthening Veterinary Services (PSVS) in Southeast Asia and supported the capacity building activities of the PSVS in strengthening disease control management in Upper Mekong including emergency preparedness, animal health communication, governance and legislation.
Thailand developed animal movement management systems which include animal identification, and the Meeting encouraged other countries to examine and implement similar animal identification and traceability systems.
The Meeting identified new animal movement patterns in the Region and the need to assess the patterns periodically in light of changing market behaviours and other infrastructural developments.
The Meeting recommended that
- a comprehensive strategic plan for zoning of the Upper Mekong Region should be developed, taking into consideration individual countries’ national plans, when finalised, and the SEAFMD 2020 Roadmap,
- control strategies should be focused to the control zone as a whole, encouraging all Member Countries to implement coordinated activities across zone boundaries and that the RCU provide guidance on this matter,
- molecular epidemiological studies should be conducted on the different serotypes causing outbreaks in the Upper Mekong zone,
- vaccination as a disease control measure including vaccination strategies in the Upper Mekong zone should be assessed, with pre and post vaccination monitoring, requirements and sourcing of vaccines,
- the policy for the control of FMD and animal movement in relation to pigs, should be reviewed, based on the presence or absence of the pig adapted strain and knowledge of movements of pigs and their products into the control zone, and
- OIE RCU in cooperation with Member Countries should conduct an integrated approach to research and epidemiology studies to progress zoning and animal movement management in the Upper Mekong Region.
Participants of the Meeting visited locations to the Thai-Myanmar/Lao border, to check animal movement and to study animal quarantine procedures for imported animals.