Laboratory Training – Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza

Project Overview

Location:
UK

Dates:
Jan - Sept 2007

Funding Body:
DG Trade

Project Status:
Ongoing

Outbreaks of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in many countries worldwide have risen substantially since December 2004, posing a major risk to international trade and public health.

Attempts by the international community to help countries to control and eradicate the disease have been of limited success and it has become endemic in several countries resulting in a severe impact on trade flow in poultry products. The poultry industry is particularly important for developing countries as it has benefits which include enhancing food security, employment opportunities, rural income generation and exports. The implications for trade once an outbreak of HPAI is reported can be devastating, particularly for those developing countries which remain strongly reliant on food trade as drivers of growth.

The EU has adopted measures to tackle the problem of Avian Influenza (AI) and has developed guidelines, standards and regulations as well as stepped up monitoring and reporting in industry. Developing countries and emerging economies on the other hand lack either the resources or know-how to do the same; experts have warned that a lack of resources for dealing with outbreaks in developing countries and a lack of international cooperation could prove a weak link in the global fight against AI. For developing countries, participating in the global response has presented enormous difficulties due to the lack of an existing and comprehensive food safety infrastructure in veterinary services and public institutions. In particular, the lack of laboratory services capable of surveillance and diagnosis to support AI prevention and control has weakened the ability of a swift and accurate response.

One of the cornerstones in any disease management strategy is the rapid and reliable diagnosis of the disease, and if appropriate, the identification of vaccinated animals by virological or serological methods. Due to this and the fact that developing countries lack resources and know-how, DG Trade, in coordination with DG Health and Consumer Protection have funded a two week training programme on HPAI for experts from 20 developing countries (including some EU candidate countries) in an accredited EU laboratory.

The training programme is being implemented by DS in consortium with the Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA), the EU Community and UK national reference laboratory for AI. With DS’s specialisation in the organisation and implementation of technical assistance and training for both government and private sector stakeholders in the international trade arena, combined with VLA’s state-of-the-art facilities and technical expertise, the training programme will focus on training experts in newly- established virological and serological methods of diagnosis and organisational aspects of the setting up and running of an accredited laboratory.

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