Rapports, Archives: 63th Session - Appendix 5

 

Summary of the report of the EuFMD/EC/OIE Tripartite Group Meeting on the Balkans

Held in Athens, Greece on 13 October 1999

 

 

FMD surveillance in Bulgaria

 

Dr Ivanov presented the result of the Sero-surveillance in Bulgaria in 1998. The serosurvey included the 3 Bulgarian provinces bordering Turkey, where the 42 villages within 10km of the Turkish border were sampled. The sampling procedure was based on statistical methods. A total of 19,188 samples from 282 small ruminant flocks were analysed by an LPB ELISA for O1 and A22 antibodies. 54 of the 19,188 samples were above the threshold 1:40 <1:100. Further testing showed that these reactions were not due to specific FMD antibodies.

 

The meeting agreed on the need to continue the serotesting in Bulgaria and improve the accuracy of the survey by using tests for detection of antibodies to non-structural proteins ( NSP). In the context of the region where new A and Asia 1 types are circulating in Iran and Turkey the advantage of the NSP test is its ability to detect antibodies to any type of virus if circulating.

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FMD surveillance in Greece

 

The last outbreak in Greece was in 1996 and Greece regained its FMD free status in 1998. To fulfil the obligation of FMD free countries under OIE code Article 2.1.1.2, Greece provides to OIE an annual report on the surveillance. The Greek delegation described the program and presented the results obtained so far in 1999. Three categories of animals are tested corresponding to three different situations.

  • Routine monitoring of animals moved from high risk areas currently in the Prefectures of Evros and the Island of Lesvos: out of 10,108 sera of sheep and goats tested none had been found positive.

  • Random surveillance on imported animals: 253 cattle have been tested with negative results

  • Serological tests on "suspect cases": 383 sheep/goats and 152 cattle have been tested and 2 cattle had titre between 60 and 120. These cattle belonged to a herd of 21 head without identification marks which had been seized at the Greek/Bulgarian border. As a precautionary measure, all animals in the herd had been killed and destroyed on the spot.

In addition to this program a specific program for Evros province has been approved and financed by EC. This comprehensive integrated new program is highly sophisticated incorporating a computerised and GIS data and it covers all aspects of disease surveillance and control in this region. It is available for consultation on the new Web site of the Ministry of Agriculture www.minagric.gr

FMD situation in Turkey and threat related to new Type A and Type Asia 1 in Iran

The representative of Turkey stated that the frequent occurrence of new strains makes the situation difficult for Sap to produce the relevant vaccine on time. She considers that a delay of a minimum of 2 months will be necessary to get a vaccine against the new A /99 strain available. The quantity of vaccine produced locally is too low to cover the needs of Turkey. The production of the private company Vetal has been 700,000 doses for 1999 only. Therefore Turkey is now ready to accept the importation of vaccines produced by other private manufacturers in Europe.

In the present situation and due to the lack of vaccine the proposed vaccination programme in Turkey for 2000 is as follows:

  • Thrace :Biannual vaccination with bivalent (A and O types). The updated figures for livestock in Thrace are 468,160 large ruminants and 953, 179 small ruminants.

  • Provinces on the Marmara Sea (Balıkesir, Yalova, Bursa, Kocaeli, Sakarya, Anatolian parts of İstanbul and Çanakkale): Biannual vaccination with bivalent (A and O types),

  • In the other regions: Monovalent vaccination (O type). In the case of A type outbreaks additional ring vaccination with monovalent (A type) vaccine.

A special Commission for FMD, in charge of FMD policy for the country, has been created . It is composed of 3 experts from Sap and 3 from the Ministry.

In conclusion, Dr Gürhan reminded the meeting that the FMD situation in Turkey is serious and all support forthcoming will be welcome. She requested in particular that the EC project and the FAO TCP for Turkey and Iran which have been dormant for the last year be urgently reactivated.

Dr Fuessel agreed that EC had some difficulties to implement its FMD project in Turkey due to financial constraints in Turkey that do not permit carrying out the programme in accordance with the Decision and EC rules for financing. However, the Turkish side had not made all the efforts which had been requested for reporting and implementing the first part of the project for 1998. The absence of a competent authority in Turkey to whom questions could be addressed and with whom problems could be discussed was also a major constraint. The discontinuation of the vaccination against type A in Anatolia decided unilaterally by Turkey at the beginning of 1999 together with the absence of progress in the implementation of cattle identification were negatively perceived in Brussels.

Dr Panagiotatos while recognising the difficulty in implementing the EC program in Turkey and the need to strictly follow EC financial rules asked that efforts should be made on both sides to solve the problems so that the EC could continue to support Turkey.

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Regional Workshop on Detection of antibodies to Non Structural Proteins

 

The Secretary of the Commission explained the context of the proposal for a Regional Workshop on Detection of antibodies to Non Structural Proteins This has been recommended by the Research Group Meeting held in Maisons-Alfort from 29 September to 1 October. There is a need for the test to be applied in the three countries to better monitor the circulation of the virus in Thrace and other regions.

The terms of reference (TOR) for this proposed Workshop are attached as Annex II

The meeting recommended that:

  • figures on FMD vaccination in Turkey and particularly in Thrace should be regularly provided to international organisations

  • the regional workshop on the detection of antibodies to NSP should be organised as soon as possible
  • serosurveillance be organised as soon as possible in Thrace using NSP test.
  • discussion between EC and Turkey should be resumed with the goal of a rapid implementation and /or updating of the FMD control program for 1999.
  • control of FMD vaccine produced in Turkey should be carried out as soon as possible, and should be paid for paid by EC

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Annex I: List of Participants:

 

Bulgaria
Dr Y. IVANOV Deputy General Director, NVS
Prof. P.TEKERLEKOV , Director of the Institute for Control of Veterinary Preparates

 

Greece
Dr D. PANAGIOTATOS, Head of section and Member of Ex. Com
Dr V STYLAS, Chief Veterinary Officer

 

Turkey
Dr. Ysmet GURHAN, Head of Laboratory Sap FMD Veterinary Control and Research Institute
Dr. Nigar TATAR, Veterinarian, Etlik Central Veterinary Control and Research Institute

 

OIE
Dr J. PEARSON, Head Scientific and Technical Dep. OIE, Paris
Dr N. BELEV, President of Regional Commission for Europe and Regional Co-ordinator of OIE for Eastern Europe

 

EC
Dr Alf-Eckbert FUESSEL, Health & Consumer Protection Directorate General, Unit E2: Legislation on animal health and live animals
Dr. Romano MARABELLI, Chairman
Dr. Yves LEFORBAN, Secretary

 

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Annex II: Provisional Terms of Reference for a Techncial Workshop on The Detection of FMD Antibody to Non-Structural Proteins in Balkan Countries (Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey)

 

Framework:

This is the second workshop of a series initiated in 1998 by Greece. This second workshop is organised in continuation of and with the same objectives as the first regional workshop organised by the Greek authorities in Athens in September 1998.

The content of the workshop should be technical and bench oriented.

Objectives:

  • Transfer the technology for the NSP test to the 3 national laboratories.

  • Define a strategy and ensure a continuity and a co-ordination between the 3 laboratories in the utilisation of the test and its interpretation.

  • Further validate the test/kit ( if available) in the context of the Balkans

  • Facilitate direct exchange between FMD labs in the region

  • Improve the surveillance of FMD in the region

Participants:

Trainers: 2 specialists of the WRL Pirbright, specialists of the IZS di Brescia

N.B.: the experts participating as trainers should be identified together with the setting up of the program between the two institutes.

Trainees: two participants from each country : ideally one senior staff and one technical staff ( both from the national labs)

N.B.: the training of two people from Iran National FMD lab in NSP tests is also foreseen under the FAO TCP on control of FMD in Iran and Turkey. Therefore, if they can be combined the training of the two Iranian experts can be made at the same time as the training for the Balkan countries.

Venue:

The initial idea was that workshops should be held alternately in national FMD laboratories of the three countries. However, it appears more convenient for technical reasons that the workshop be held in one of the two laboratories which have developed the test in the EU. The IZS, Brescia, Italy, has already accepted to host the workshop

Dates: ASAP, ( tentatively December 1999 or January 2000)
Duration: 3 to 5 working days

 

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