Increased globalisation in the animal trade can catch countries off-guard by outbreaks of disease that were previously unknown in those countries, and they must be constantly vigilant, International Epizootics Office officials said at a meeting here.

The Paris-based organisation is an independent global body that establishes the international code for animal health and is hosting a seminar on risk analysis in trade in animals and animal products in the Middle East.

Dr Ghazi Yehia, the coordinator of the three-day conference which began yesterday, said there is an urgent need for countries to be more prepared for animal disease outbreaks.
The conference is being held in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture.

"The conditions of modern life are such that from a health standpoint people are no longer dependent only on their neighbours or on those nations of their own continent, but must maintain relations with the entire world," he said.

"The Americas, Asia, Africa and Oceania have seen their indigenous diseases supplemented by European contagions which have often found a highly favourable breeding ground in these regions.

"However, nowadays these continents are all exporters to some degree, and the traffic in animals of every species, domestic and wild, as well as in animal products, has taken on growing importance.

"This leads to the danger of importing indigenous diseases and, above all, of introducing exotic diseases." He pointed out that the recent outbreak of Rift Valley Fever in Saudi Arabia and Yemen is an example of this problem.

Rift Valley Fever previously was not present in these countries, and this led to the outbreak being widespread and having a high negative impact economically. "Earlier, it was restricted to Africa and had never crossed the border. This time it happened.

"But in cases such as foot and mouth disease it is endemic to regions such as the Middle East and Asia. So there are proper vaccination programmes in place, which ensures that the outbreaks are mild and die off within a couple of weeks.

"But this doesn't mean that there shouldn't be preparedness for unforeseen outbreaks." The conference is being attended by top officials from the ministries of agriculture and veterinary departments of 17 Middle Eastern countries.

The International Epizootics Office has regional offices in the Americas, Africa, Europe, Asia and Middle East. This is the second seminar on animal health it has held in the Middle East.

"The main recommendation we will put forth is the setting up of an ad hoc committee of experts from the countries of the Middle East, who will be available always to help and advise nations during any emergency disease outbreak. They will analyse the risk and problem level to help and offer solutions," Yehia said. "The other recommendation is a uniform animal health certificate, to standardise procedures among all nations in the region."