2294 part 1 final report.pdf - Agra CEAS Consulting

Prevention and control of animal diseases worldwide
Part I: Economic analysis: prevention versus outbreak costs
In consequence of new outbreaks in 2001 which affected Argentina as well as Uruguay, and parts of
southern Brazil (A191) on March 2004 GEIFA (Inter-American group for FMD eradication) was created
as the competent body for the preparation, supervision and execution of the regional project for the final
phase of the eradication of FMD in the Americas, as part of the PHEFA and in support of the national
programmes for FMD prevention and eradication. GIEFA developed an Action Plan for 2005-2010. The
Basic Strategies of PHEFA and GIEFA are the knowledge of livestock production forms; the
characterisation of risk of introduction and diffusion of FMD; strengthening of National Veterinary
Services; improvement of coordination between National services on a regional basis; stimulate livestock
sector participation in programmes; allocation of international resources for the poor or in need areas.
In the wake of the FMD outbreaks which occurred in 2001, especially in Europe and South America, the
OIE and FAO convened an international conference on FMD in Brazilia, Brazil. One of the key
recommendations was a call for international action against major animal diseases, especially FMD,
rinderpest and classical swine fever. This was further emphasised by the special ministerial meeting on
FMD during the 31st Session of the FAO Conference, which urged the FAO, OIE and World Health
Organisation (WHO) to continue their joint efforts to seek an international solution to the problem of
FMD and other transboundary animal diseases.
The FMD campaign has attracted significant funds over the years. During the 1990-2004 period, some
US$ 3.5 billion have been committed to the fight against FMD by South American countries, and these
efforts are continuing. While a regional approach is increasingly being advocated to addressing FMD, the
extent of the financial commitment on GIEFA is not clear as yet. A review of the cost-benefit of
improvements in Latin American veterinarian systems was recently undertaken by the OIE Regional
Representation/CEMA (A141) 71 . These issues are explored further under the Argentina case study
(section 5.1).
d) Pan-African Programme for the Control of Epizootics (PACE)
PACE is a five years (2002-2007) regional programme coordinated by the African Union Inter-African
Bureau of Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) with the aim to improve surveillance of epizootic diseases in
Africa to accurately determine their prevalence and impact on livestock production. 32 Sub Saharan
African countries were involved in the project, which has represented the first continental epidemiology
programme. PACE has been funded by the European Union through the European Development Fund and
its total cost over the 5 year period has been estimated at 72 million EURO.
The programme is a successor to the Pan African Rinderpest Control Programme (PARC) in force from
1986 until 1999, which virtually eradicated Rinderpest in Africa. PARC has been a key element of the
Global Plan for the Eradication of Rinderpest (GREP), a programme coordinated by FAO that aims at the
eradication of the disease from the world by 2010. (Source: FAO EMPRESS)
According to an assessment made by the Epidemiological Unit of PACE, CBPP is endemic in many parts
of Africa and it is identified as the second most important transboundary disease in Africa after rinderpest.
The reasons for the persistence of CBPP are attributed to animal movement within and between countries
and to the absence of adequate diagnostic tests, the lack of use of diagnostic tests because of diminished
financial support and a downturn in the use and quality of CBPP vaccine.
71 This research is currently in progress – results are preliminary. Further findings are presented in Table 10.
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