The ongoing spread of avian influenza viruses and African swine fever in many countries is a constant reminder of the continuing global threat of emerging infectious diseases in the region. Better knowledge of the animal disease situation contributes to more effective actions to reduce the impact of these threats on food production, public health and livelihoods. A robust surveillance system is crucial for countries to understand their local disease situation. It provides them with the necessary evidence to enact targeted disease management programmes and allows for information-sharing at a regional level to ensure neighbouring countries are better prepared for spread of these diseases. 

Working closely with countries and partners, FAO ECTAD supports efforts to improve disease surveillance capacities and enhance international cooperation to share disease information at a regional and global level. The Organization supports national veterinary services to implement effective surveillance and foster cross-sectoral collaboration at the human-animal-environment interface for joint approaches to countering zoonotic diseases.

FAO works with various partners along the following priorities:

• Support for national avian influenza virus surveillance. Building upon years of work in the region, FAO supports countries in implementing their national avian and zoonotic influenza surveillance in live animal markets and other high-risk areas. This enables countries to continuously search for avian influenza viruses where they are most likely present and better prepare for an outbreak. The activities include providing guidance for surveillance planning, implementing novel technologies for faster and more accurate virus detection closer to the field and improving sustainability by working closely with national stakeholders.

• Systematic surveillance capacity building. FAO supports countries in developing their national disease surveillance system using comprehensive tools such as the Surveillance Evaluation Tool (SET), the Tripartite Zoonosis Guide (TZG)’s Joint Risk Assessment (JRA) and Surveillance and Information Sharing Operational Tool (SISOT). This systematic approach provides national veterinary services with country-adapted capacity-building plans that fit their needs.

• Regional early warning. Diseases do not have borders, and a regional overview of the dynamic disease situation is essential to quickly detect and respond to disease outbreaks. Through a rumour tracking platform, FAO provides countries with updated disease situations and early warning notifications to prepare and respond to disease threats rapidly.

Related FAO initiatives

Additional Resources