The new, emergent, re-emergent and exotic diseases of domestic animals, are caused by different contagious agents and imply limitations to food security and livestock international trade. In many cases, human health is also affected when no adequate control measures are taken to face those of zoonotic character. It is quite clear that the majority of them are not confined to specific geographic zones, but they displace themselves through national or international borders. FAO has defined transboundary diseases as those that are of significant economic, trade and/or food security importance for a group of countries; which can easily spread to other countries and reach epidemic proportions; requiring for its control and exclusion, co-operation between countries. Nowadays, the possibilities of introducing these diseases is greater due to the economic globalization and the endorsement of new commercial agreements, which hasten up and increase the volume of commercial interchanges. In view of this, in 1994 FAO established an Emergency Prevention System (EMPRES) for Transboundary Animal and Plant Pests and Diseases in order to agglutinate resources assigned in national efforts and complement regional zoo sanitary activities for the control of transboundary diseases at global level.
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Transboundary Diseases
© 2005 Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations