OIE Workshop on HPAI Information Systems in Southeast Asia Bangkok, Thailand, 28-29 September 2006
The Workshop was organised for the development of regional HPAI information systems and networks in Southeast Asian Countries (ASEAN countries), where Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) was firstly reported in 2003 and 2004 with continuously reported outbreaks since then.
The Workshop was attended by 24 participants who are involved in animal health information (basically two from one country: one veterinary officer in charge of epidemiology and the other responsible for handling data processing), in their respective countries, namely Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam (Brunei and Myanmar were not able to participate in the Workshop, while those two countries were also invited to attend), from the OIE (Dr K. Ben Jebara from the Central Bureau in Paris; Drs T. Fujita and Y. Sakurai from Regional Representation based in Tokyo; Dr S. Yoshimura, HPAI Regional Coordinator, Bangkok; Drs R. Abila and S. Forman, and Ms N. Hungerford from SEAFMD in Bangkok); and Drs A. Cameron and Ben Madin from AusVet, Australia (as a resource person and as an observer).
Dr T. Fujita and Dr K. Ben Jebara delivered opening addresses, both of whom welcomed participants to the Workshop and stressed the importance of disease information system development, in particular for the prevention and control of HPAI in ASEAN countries.
Dr Fujita presented his paper on "OIE Regional HPAI Information System Development in Southeast Asia (Overview of the Workshop)", Dr Ben Jebara on "OIE World Animal Health Information System (WAHIS) and its Regional Cores" and Dr Cameron on "New ARAHIS - WAHIS Link" and Dr Abila and Dr Yoshimura on "HPAI Outbreak Database of Southeast Asia".
The Workshop discussed and reviewed various aspects of disease information systems in the Region, taking into consideration (a) the recent HPAI situation in ASEAN countries, (b) animal health information systems developed recently as a global system (OIE WAHIS) and as a regional system (ASEAN Region Animal Health Information System=ARAHIS) and also (c) the new project of OIE/Japan Special Trust Fund Project to tackle HPAI in this Region initiated in 2006, which includes a component of HPAI information sharing to further strengthen regional early warning systems.
Each participating country from ASEAN reported its current HPAI situation and its reporting systems.
Under those conditions, this Workshop discussed how to further strengthen HPAI information systems and how to set up Regional HPAI information networks for the OIE Member Countries in ASEAN.
The Workshop finally produced "Conclusions and Recommendations for the Workshop" (attached).
Emphasis was put on the implementation by each country of regular reporting to the OIE using the existing online world animal health information notification system (WAHIS) for immediate notifications and follow-ups on HPAI and other diseases. When the disease becomes endemic in a country, a final follow-up report should be made, and notification to the OIE on HPAI should continue through the monthly reporting procedure (by month and by first administrative division) so to continue having information on HPAI situation in that country.
OIE should develop the regional HPAI information system (OIE WAHIS Regional Core for HPAI) which is closely linked with the HPAI component of WAHIS and which will complement WAHIS information component of the Region, for benefit of ASEAN countries.
Each ASEAN Member Country should provide information on HPAI using WAHIS web application so that the newly developed OIE Regional HPAI WAHIS Core can be fed, from the OIE Central Bureau. There is no need to duplicate the reporting of disease occurrences notified by each country to the OIE Central Bureau, through WAHIS web application, with that of the HPAI Regional WAHIS Core.
Consideration will be given to the use of the OIE Regional HPAI WAHIS Core used, for other Transboundary Animal Diseases in the Region.
Discussions were made on the possible links of WAHIS and ARAHIS, both of which were already developed and are in place for implementation, taking into consideration the functions of immediate notification and its follow-up in WAHIS and of regional prioritized disease information as well as endemic disease information only for the limited regional use in ARAHIS. It was recommended that the possibility of links of both information systems should be further explored from various angles because of some reasons such as reports of non-officially confirmed cases of suspected diseases in ARAHIS which are only available for the Member Countries in the region for their own information sharing. Participants made some recommendations on ARAHIS for consideration by ASEAN countries.
The Workshop, which was successfully organised, contributed to deeper understanding about the importance of notification to the OIE Central Bureau of disease occurrences such as HPAI, by using the existing on-line WAHIS and of the development of the OIE HPAI WAHIS Regional Core.