@fao egy Group photo of the inter-regional training workshop participants on “Analysis of camel value chains and human behaviors in view of MERS- CoV surveillance”

Cairo, December 21^st, 2016: The Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Disease (ECTAD) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO-Egypt) in collaboration with Animal Health Service (AGAH) of FAO-HQ supported by USAID funded projects, hosted a two days inter-regional training workshop on “Analysis of camel value chains and human behaviors in view of  MERS- CoV surveillance”  involving representatives from Egypt, Jordan, Ethiopia and Kenya to roll out the guidelines and to ensure common approaches for the field implementation of coordinated value chain analysis and longitudinal surveillance related to MERS CoV.

The training workshop has been conducted from 13th to 14th December 2016 and delivered by Astrid Tripodi, Animal Health and Production Officer (Value chain specialist), AGAH, Emma Gardner, Veterinary Epidemiologist  (MERS CoV specialist), AGAH and Sergei Khomenko EPT-2 Systems characterization and Disease Ecology Expert, AGAH from FAO HQ, In the presence of Dr. Mohamed Attya, Head of Preventive Medicine at GOVs, Markos Tibbo, Regional Near East Livestock Officer at FAO RNE, Lotfi Allal, ECTAD team leader and entire ECTAD team in Egypt in addition to participants from Ministry of Health, National Research Center, Central Laboratory for Evaluation of Veterinary Biologics CLEVB, Egypt.

The specific objectives of the training workshop are to: (i) ensure understanding of value chain and behaviour work in the epidemiologic context of MERS-CoV, (ii) build consensus on longitudinal surveillance activities at country level and across borders; and (iii) ensure common and synergic approaches between countries with regard to value chain analysis and longitudinal surveillance”.

Commenting on the workshop, Lotfi Allal said:” The understanding of camel supply chains, connected risk practices and behaviours will help focusing upcoming surveillance activities under the FAO component of the USAID Emerging Pandemic Threats Program 2 (EPT2) project”.

Astrid Tripodi said that:” FAO has prepared practical guidance documents for field teams including methodologies and interview guides for analysis of value chains and related behaviours. Similarly, guidance for longitudinal surveillance has been developed”.

“Ongoing cross-sectional surveillance activities under the EPT2 project aim at estimating MERS-CoV prevalence of exposure and active infection and to identify risk factors for each. Upcoming longitudinal surveillance activities will identify temporal patterns of MERS-CoV exposure and shedding and in this regard results of value chain and behaviour studies will be useful and valuable to focus the longitudinal survey on relevant areas and parts of the camel value chain” added Tripodi.

It is important to note that understanding the supply chains and connected risk practices as well as behaviour is crucial to better understand the interface between animals and humans that potentiates the emergence, transmission and spread of pathogens.

In the framework of the USAID funded Emerging Pandemic Threats Program 2 (EPT2), FAO will carry out value chain and behavioural analyses in four geographic regions (West and Central Africa; East Africa, Near East and Asia) to support targeted surveillance, risk assessment, and inform risk management and policy making.