ILRI publishes three policy briefs on ecohealth approaches to managing zoonoses in Southeast Asia

A live chicken vendor weighs a chicken in Hung Yen province, Vietnam (photo credit: ILRI/Nguyen Ngoc Huyen).

More than 6 out of 10 human infectious diseases are zoonotic (can be passed from animals to people). Southeast Asia is considered one of the hotspot areas for the emergence of zoonotic diseases. The rapid growth of economies and human populations have led to livestock intensification, land use changes and disruption in wildlife habitats, all of which are ideal for the emergence of zoonotic diseases.

From 2008 to 2013, the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) led an action research project on zoonotic diseases in six countries in Southeast Asia: Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam.

Each country team comprised individuals and institutions with knowledge of ecohealth, representing multiple disciplines carrying out research on zoonotic emerging diseases. The project aimed to build ecohealth capacity and learn about the process of adopting the ecohealth approach in the country contexts.

The project has published three new policy briefs that highlight some of the key outcomes on stakeholder engagement processes, raising awareness of zoonotic diseases, and capacity building in One Health and ecohealth in Southeast Asia.

• Engaging stakeholders to manage emerging zoonotic diseases in Southeast Asia
• Increasing awareness of zoonotic diseases among health workers and rural communities in Southeast Asia
• Outcomes in building capacity and strengthening networks: Ecohealth in Southeast Asia

The International Development Research Centre (IDRC) funded the project.

Visit the project website for more information

 

ILRI and FAO host meeting of regional food safety experts to strengthen collaboration

Participants at a food safety stakeholder meeting held on 24 February 2014 and hosted by the International Livestock Research Institute and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (photo credit: ILRI/Samuel Mungai).

The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) hosted a meeting in Nairobi, Kenya on 24-25 February 2014 to discuss increasing collaboration in the area of food safety. 

The meeting was linked with the recent signing of the memorandum of understanding between CGIAR  and FAO to strengthen ties between the two organizations for translating science to policy.

The first day was attended by over 25 representatives from more than 10 institutions including Kenyan government institutions, academia, international organizations and research institutions.

The representatives shared information regarding the work of their respective institutions in the area of food safety, identified some key areas for support, and provided an open forum to discuss food safety challenges.

During the discussion, ILRI and FAO presented an overview of ongoing or planned activities related to food safety.  Some of the key areas for support outlined by the stakeholders included food safety surveillance, generation of data, capacity building and improving collaboration across the wide range of stakeholders involved in managing food safety at the national level.

The second day was specifically for ILRI and FAO to discuss in detail possible areas for collaboration.  Each organization had outlined a wide range of topics to discuss including:

• multifactorial framework for policy decision-making in food safety;
• food safety risk analysis training opportunities;
• food safety surveillance including early warning and rapid alert systems; and
• practical food safety application in informal markets.

By the end of the meeting, the two organizations agreed on a number of activities that could benefit from joint efforts and for future collaborative work.

FAO representatives also had the opportunity to tour the ILRI campus facilities and discuss food safety issues with other ILRI colleagues outside of the Food Safety and Zoonoses team, including the Biosciences eastern and central Africa (BecA) Hub which supports the use of biosciences to address food safety and security challenges in Africa such as aflatoxins.

The two-day meeting was highly successful, with both organizations expressing support for increased collaboration in the area of food safety at global and regional levels.

This meeting is timely given the increasing momentum of food safety globally and in Africa, as evidenced by the proposed development of a food safety coordination mechanism and the generation of the Partnership for Aflatoxin Control in Africa under the leadership of the African Union, among numerous other initiatives.

Download the workshop report

 

Farmers in Uganda gain from training in pig production and marketing

Pig production is an important livelihood activity for some 1 million smallholder households in Uganda, given the growing demand for pork in both rural and urban areas.

However, many smallholder pig farmers are constrained by lack of adequate information on animal health, feeding and breeding that can help them improve their pig husbandry and scale up their operations towards commercialized production and greater profits.

Pig Production and Marketing Uganda Limited works with pig farmers – from smallholder to large-scale – to increase productivity and create a reliable market for pig farm produce. The organization also offers technical support to pig farmers in Uganda.

As part of its efforts towards improving pig husbandry in Uganda, the organization held a training workshop on 14-15 February 2014 in Matugga, Wakiso District for some 70 farmers.

The aim of the workshop was to share knowledge on modern pig farming methods and good agricultural practices in pig husbandry. Other topics included feeding, breeding, pig health, management of pig diseases, farm management and record keeping.

Scientists from the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) were invited to participate in the workshop as part of the team of facilitators.

Danilo Pezo, coordinator an ILRI project on smallholder pig value chain development in Uganda, gave the opening address. Kristina Roesel, coordinator of the ILRI-led Safe Food, Fair Food project, facilitated a session on pig and pork zoonoses in Uganda.

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The event received media coverage in the Daily Monitor newspaper (Piggery: Farmers urged on best practices, 19 Feb 2014)

Related blog post: Ugandans and pork: A story that needs telling (ILRI News blog, 19 Feb 2014)

 

ILRI to lead pilot study on livestock identification and traceability system for IGAD region

Participants of a workshop on developing a livestock identification and traceability system for the IGAD region (photo credit: ILRI/Liya Dejene).

A livestock identification and traceability system will soon be piloted in the Intergovernmental Agency on Development (IGAD) region, following discussions at a workshop held last week (4-5 February) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to review existing national systems and identify practical options towards a harmonized system for the region.

The IGAD region is home to 336 million ruminants and the livestock sector contributes significantly to the economy of countries in the region and to the livelihoods of millions of pastoralists and smallholder livestock keepers and traders.

Regional harmonization of livestock identification and traceability systems, based on international standards of the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), would improve coordination of surveillance and control of transboundary animal diseases, thereby enhancing regional trade in livestock and livestock products.

Some 35 participants attended the workshop, drawn from both the public and private sectors. Tanzania, although not a member of IGAD, was also represented at the meeting. In addition to chief veterinary officers and national experts in livestock identification and traceability from IGAD member countries, representatives were present from the following institutions and programs:

• African Union – Interafrican Bureau on Animal Resources (AU-IBAR),
• Agricultural Growth Program-Livestock Market Development (AGP-LMD)
• CNFA South Sudan Cattle Program
• East African Community,
• Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO),
• International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI),
• IGAD Centre for Pastoral Areas and Livestock Development (ICPALD),
• Kenya Livestock Marketing Council,
• Kenya Meat Commission, and
• Northeast Africa Livestock Council.

Presentations were made on the status of livestock production and trade in the region, an ongoing project on standard methods and procedures in animal health, and the status of livestock identification and traceability systems in the respective countries in the IGAD region.

The Standard Methods and Procedures in Animal Health (SMP-AH) project is coordinated by AU-IBAR and IGAD with financial support from the East Africa regional program of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). It is a four year project (2012-2016) being carried out in Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Uganda and Tanzania to support harmonization and coordination of disease surveillance, and the prevention and control of trade-related transboundary animal diseases.

Among the expected outputs of the SMP-AH project are:

• the establishment of a framework for surveillance and control of trade-related animal diseases;
• harmonization of laboratory testing procedures for the priority animal diseases in the region;
• the establishment of standards for regional quarantine stations; and
• enhanced technical and coordination capacity of participating countries and the IGAD region at large.

The presentations on the status of livestock identification and traceability systems in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Uganda and Tanzania covered the current activities in the respective countries, the interventions that the countries would need to improve the already existing systems, the foreseen challenges in the implementation of the proposed system, and the steps that can be taken towards regional harmonization of systems in the IGAD region.

During the discussions that followed, participants were able to share their experiences and learn from other countries. In addition, a status review of animal identification and traceability systems in other countries in Africa – in particular Namibia and Botswana that have highly specialized systems – and in the United States of America helped to give a wider outlook on continental and global scale.

Based on the plenary presentations and discussions, the participants identified the livestock identification and traceability options that can be used to design a regional system. In order of priority, the options are as follows:

• Visual tamperproof ear tags with ISO coding
• Visual tamperproof ear tags (with ISO coding) plus hot-iron branding in insecure areas
• Radio frequency identification (RFID) ear tags
• RFID bolus (for ruminants)
• Microchip implants (for controlled trials) with hot-iron branding to deter theft

From the presentations, discussions and consensus reached, the workshop came up with the following general recommendations:

1. Develop a pilot project on a livestock identification and traceability system for the IGAD region (including Tanzania) based on the criteria listed below:
   • Areas with identified target market and export facilities such as quarantine stations and abattoirs
   • Areas with confirmed security concerns
   • Areas with cross border movement
   • Areas with fairly advanced livestock identification and traceability systems
   • Areas with confirmed animal health concerns
   • Areas with major livestock trade routes
2. Develop an IGAD umbrella body that would oversee the implementation of the livestock identification and traceability system in the region.
3. Develop guidelines, procedures and regional coordination mechanisms by the umbrella body in conjunction with states that have current and proposed livestock identification and traceability activities.
4. Encourage international and regional organizations such as OIE, FAO and AU-IBAR to hasten the development, finalization and dissemination of guidelines on livestock identification and traceability systems to assist the developing countries.
5. Encourage the member states to establish and strengthen their livestock identification and traceability systems as an important tool for trade and disease control.
6. AU-IBAR and IGAD should organize exposure visits to areas with reasonably advanced livestock identification and traceability systems.

For more information about this work, contact Florence Mutua (f.mutua@cgiar.org) or Bernard Bett (b.bett@cgiar.org) of ILRI, or James Wabacha of AU-IBAR (james.wabacha@au-ibar.org).

Access the workshop proceedings

 

ILRI to host workshop on regional livestock identification and traceability system for IGAD countries

A batch of Somali goats destined for export markets. A harmonized livestock identification and traceability system in the IGAD region can improve efficiency of livestock marketing (photo credit: Terra Nuova).

Livestock identification and traceability systems enhance livestock production and trade by enabling improved surveillance and management of transboundary animal diseases. These systems can also be used to deter stock theft in areas that are prone to cattle rustling.

The livestock sector plays an important role in the economy of countries in the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) region. However, there is currently no harmonized system for livestock identification and traceability in the region, as countries are at different stages of setting up the required legal and institutional frameworks.

To address this issue, the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in collaboration with the African Union – Interafrican Bureau on Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) and the IGAD Centre for Pastoral Areas and Livestock Development have convened a regional workshop on 4-5 February 2014 at the ILRI Addis Ababa Campus, Ethiopia.

The workshop brings together some 40 stakeholders from the public and private sectors in the IGAD region including chief veterinary officers, livestock producers, traders and transporters, meat processors, researchers and policymakers.

The objectives of the workshop are to:

• review the current livestock identification and traceability systems in the IGAD member states and the extent to which these systems have been used in the surveillance and management of transboundary animal diseases in the region;
• develop a consensus on the role of livestock identification and traceability systems in the region, given the existence of diverse livestock production systems, marketing channels and infrastructure; and
• identify practical options and approaches to develop a harmonized livestock identification and traceability system in the IGAD region.

For more information about the workshop, contact Florence Mutua (f.mutua@cgiar.org) or Bernard Bett (b.bett@cgiar.org) of ILRI, or James Wabacha of AU-IBAR (james.wabacha@au-ibar.org).

 

New study published on risk-based assessment of pork safety in Nagaland, Northeast India

A woman feeds her pigs in Nagaland, India (photo credit: ILRI/Stevie Mann).

The first risk-based study of food safety in the pork value chain in Nagaland, Northeast India has identified several important microbiological hazards and assessed their impacts on human health.

Nagaland has the highest density of pigs in India and the highest pork consumption levels. Therefore, information on pathogens in pigs and pork in the region, and their health impacts, is useful for decision-making on interventions aimed at improving food safety and safeguarding the health of consumers.

The study investigated samples from pigs and pork sourced at slaughter in urban and rural environments, and at retail, to assess a selection of food-borne hazards. In addition, consumer exposure was characterized using information about hygiene and practices related to handling and preparing pork.

The food-borne pathogens identified include Listeria spp. and Brucella suis. A risk assessment framework assessed the health impacts of three representative hazards or hazards proxies, namely, Enterobacteriaceae, Taenia solium cysticercosis and antibiotic residues.

The study found that by using participatory methods and rapid diagnostics alongside conventional methods, risk assessment can be used in a resource-scarce setting.

The findings are published in a special issue on food safety and public health in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.

View the article

Citation
Fahrion AS, Jamir L, Richa K, Begum S, Rutsa V, Ao S, Padmakumar VP, Deka RP and Grace D. 2014. Food-safety hazards in the pork chain in Nagaland, North East India: Implications for human health. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 11(1): 403-417.

 

Poster on zoonoses research wins third prize at Medical Research Council centenary event

We are pleased to congratulate Elizabeth Cook, a graduate fellow at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) with the Zoonotic and Emerging Diseases research group, who won third prize in a poster competition held to commemorate 100 years since the founding of the UK Medical Research Council (MRC).

The MRC centenary celebration took place at the Royal Society, London on 10 December 2013 at a high-level event that brought together various heads of international biomedical research organizations, experienced researchers, parliamentarians and international research administrators and funders.

The poster competition had been organized for MRC-funded early-career researchers to communicate how international collaboration has been pivotal to their research. Cook’s PhD studentship at the University of Edinburgh is funded by the MRC.

Her poster, International partnerships – Shining the light on the neglected zoonoses, featured the People, Animals and their Zoonoses project which investigates zoonoses in western Kenya towards developing appropriate interventions for disease prevention and control.

The coordinating partners in the project are the University of Edinburgh, the Kenya Medical Research Institute, Kenya’s Department of Veterinary Services and ILRI.

The project also works in partnership with a number of universities and research institutes across the world for sampling, diagnostics and data analysis.

Funding for the project is from the Wellcome Trust and the CGIAR Research Program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health (A4NH).

 

Experts explore One Health options for better control of zoonotic diseases in South Asia

Morning milking in Rajasthan, India. Regional experts have called for appropriate One Health approaches to improve the prevention and control of zoonoses and agriculture-associated diseases in South Asia (photo credit: ILRI/Susan MacMillan).

On 25 November 2013, a regional multi-stakeholder forum on One Health/Ecohealth, with special emphasis on agriculture-associated diseases, was held in New Delhi, India. The event brought together some 50 high-level representatives from the human, animal and environmental health sectors, including international donors, policymakers, developmental agencies and researchers.

Among the several issues discussed was the need for a centralized body or coordination mechanism to address the prevention and control of zoonotic diseases in the South Asia region. With regard to disease surveillance and reporting, it was felt that in countries like India which follow a ‘top-down’ approach, there is need to also incorporate community-based ‘bottom-up’ surveillance that focuses not just on reporting but also on development.

Several participants drew attention to the need to develop robust estimates on how much zoonotic diseases are currently costing the public and private sectors. In order to be able to convince policymakers to invest in One Health, there is need to provide estimates of the full cost of disease and the cost of different options for reducing it.

One of the suggestions put forward to add value to One Health efforts was to document best practices – with clear pointers to what worked well and what did not – and share these lessons with states and regions who could adapt them to suit their local contexts. This is important as because there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to One Health.

The stakeholder forum was organized by the South Asia office of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and supported by the International Association for Ecology and Health, the CGIAR Research Program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health (A4NH) and the Public Health Foundation of India.

Access the workshop report

 

The next global pandemic: Can we predict it?

Live chicken on sale in Hung Yen province, Vietnam (photo credit: ILRI/Nguyen Ngoc Huyen).

Can we predict the next global pandemic? How can we ensure that we are prepared to tackle the next global disease epidemic?

Ten years after the SARS pandemic, Alok Jha, a science correspondent at The Guardian, examines a new human-animal virus surveillance project in Vietnam as part of his investigation into the possibility of predicting the next global pandemic.

Read his article in The Guardian: A deadly disease could travel at jet speed around the world. How do we stop it in time?

Listen to his science documentary on BBC Radio 4: The Next Global Killer

 

CGIAR scientists develop working groups to coordinate mycotoxin research

On 9-11 October 2013, participants from five CGIAR centres met at Naivasha in Kenya to share about their current activities related to mycotoxin research and to plan for how these different activities might contribute to the next phase of the CGIAR Research Program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health (A4NH) mycotoxin research portfolio.

The meeting was attended by representatives from the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and the Biosciences eastern and central Africa Hub at ILRI.

Scientists presented their current mycotoxin research activities, the research gaps and opportunities they see, and areas for development. In addition, IITA presented on Biocontrol using atoxigenic Aspergillus flavus and ILRI presented on risk analysis as the current gold standard for assessing, managing and communicating food safety. All presentations are available at https://aghealth.wordpress.com/presentations-at-the-second-joint-cgiar-meeting-on-mycotoxins.

The group agreed that mycotoxins were a key area for food safety and trade in Africa; that it was important to co-ordinate CGIAR activities across A4NH; that moving into a second phase of A4NH emphasis was needed on developing strong impact pathways that linked research with development outcomes.

To this end, the group established three working groups to plan and coordinate mycotoxin research across CGIAR centres:

• Evidence for risk and risk mitigation
• Diagnostics for use
• Population biology for control

Download the workshop report