SADC countries join forces to address the progressive control of foot and mouth disease in the region
Twelve of the fifteen member countries of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) are meeting in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania to deliberate on challenges facing the livestock sector in the region with special focus on the foot and mouth disease (FMD).
Speaking on the side-lines of the meeting, the Senior Animal Health Officer from the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) headquarters, Dr Samia Metwally, said that FMD severely affects the production of livestock, disrupting regional, international trade in animal and animal products, and threatening food security. That detrimental impact of FMD is exceptionally relevant in developing countries, where losses in production, utility and income can have significant impacts especially for smallholders, among others,” she said.
In order to address the FMD burden, Dr Metwally added, FAO and the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) developed a 15-year Global FMD Control Strategy in 2012 and that since then several initiatives were identified to establish enabling environment for controlling the disease especially among the most affected countries. The Progressive Control Pathway (PCP) for FMD Control is an important part of the strategy. The objective of this meeting, includes sharing information on FMD circulating virus in the region, and assess the progress on FMD control in the region as well as the progress within the PCP.
The FAO Senior Animal Health Officer said that the SADC regional meeting aimed to give a room for participants to share information about FMD virus circulation in the region; gain understating on preventive principles and implementation; and assess FMD control in the region, among others.
Speaking on behalf of the FAO Country Representative, Fred Kafeero, the FAO Livestock Officer for the Southern Africa Region, Patrick Otto, said that “the Roadmap meeting on FMD is an important event given the importance of livestock in a region with a human population of more than 235 million, out of which roughly 100 million are wholly or partially dependent on livestock.” He added, “In recent years, many countries have endured FMD outbreaks with devastating consequences to household incomes, livelihoods and national economic development. I do hope that this meeting contributes towards adding to the SADC region more countries that have been successful in preventing, managing, and controlling the spread of FMD.”
On his side, Dr Makungu Selemani an epidemiologist from the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries said that the meeting is very crucial to Tanzania bearing in mind its large livestock population and that the country was going to benefit from the meeting’s deliberations.
The meeting is attended by chief veterinary officers, laboratory experts engaged in FMD issues from 12 of the 15 SADC Member States and representatives from the international and regional bodies including OIE and European Commission for control of FMD, and international Institutes, among others.