Fail to Prepare and Prepare to Fail

Fighting the on-going battle against disease outbreaks is a steep task facing animal health officials. With climate change and so much international trade, disease control is a global issue that needs to co-operation of both developed and developing countries, says Bernard Vallat, Director General of the Paris-based World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE).

NGA. What is the economic and social impact of animal disease on the rural economy, and what strategies do both rich and poor economies need to employ to remain from risk?
Bernard Vallat. The new context of globalisation and climate change leads to new threats for everybody. The movement pf trade and people worldwide is unprecedented so this is an important factor in the spread of viruses and bacteria. We also have the threat of bio- or agro-terrorism, which can use the flow of commodities and people to facilitate the spread of disease. All countries need to be ready to change their protection systems. Also, climate change allows some insects to recognise new territories with their pathogens. A good example in the US is the West Nile virus which invaded the north part of the country in 10 years - probably thanks to a parrot imported in New York. So we have new multiplication of events in the world linked to globalisation and climate change.

The world needs to be ready for these new threats and it is the responsibilities of governments to update legislation and to ensure that this legislation is implemented correctly. They need to make sure there is no smuggling on the borders, for example, or that someone does not hide a disease because he is afraid of the consequences. Also, we must develop partnerships between the public and private sector - the veterinary services and the farmers. This is crucial. We think the best way is to have a triumvirate of veterinary officials, private veterinarians and farmers, which is a key element of new threats. Within this group we need a lot of flexibility, depending on the culture of a particular country but this partnership has to exist. Training and awareness is one of the key components of this flow in information and activity between the three partners.

NGA. How can OIE ensure that its member countries implement its code and good governance when it comes to the control of zoonoses?
BV. We have a link between democracy and good practices. Countries where policy makers are elected are very reluctant to hide some situations because this it is a great risk. We have some countries that are without democracy but the number countries able to hide a situation is very, very low thanks to the media. The media are more interested in zoonoses but we hope that all diseases will be of interest to the media. Everyday, we track information and rumours about the existence of diseases worldwide so when the governments do not broadcast a situation we can then speak with the media. In some cases we have rumours that are not based on true diagnostics so it is important to verify whether situations are true or not.

NGA. The outbreak of the H5N1 bird flu virus dominated industry discussion in 2007. Is the virus still a concern for animal health, and how is it being monitored?
BV. This was an unprecedented crisis. This was the first time that a new strain is able to cross three continents and infect millions of birds. Before the emergence of this new strain we knew that this virus was circulating without much damage. This low pathogenic strain in wild birds had, and still has, the potential to become high pathogenic and this is what happened in Asia more or less 10 years ago. This was able to escape and to reach Europe, Africa and the Middle East. We were then able to show governments that they were not ready and had to invest more in surveillance and prevention systems. But we have many resources at our disposal to raise awareness, especially in developing countries, and to help them to adapt their systems. And we made a lot of training programs for veterinary officials and farmers to cope with the problem.

After four years of this crisis, which started in 2004, we can say that the majority of countries worldwide are able to control the disease when an outbreak occurs and are able to detect early, which is crucial. If you don't make any early detection where the pathogen appears then the cost is exponential. You then need a rapid response, using bio-security measures to block the spread. Although the majority of countries can contain an outbreak, this was not the case four years ago. But of course we still have countries that are still not ready, such as Indonesia and Egypt. Because they are not able to control the situation the disease is endemic and there is a permanent threat of re-emergence in other countries. So we have solved a lot of situations in four years and we now have to help just two or three countries.

NGA. What particular challenges is US agriculture industry currently facing with animal health and disease prevention?
BV. Because of globalisation and climate change and the US' involvement in the international exchange of commodities, this country is particular exposed to threats linked with animal health. The US must be ready and must understand to adapt and amend its legislation and policies to whilst maintaining its international trade. The solution is good governance and resources given to the people in charge of implementation of the legislation and improving the relationship with farmers.

NGA. Is there more that could be done here?
BV. The animal disease situation in the US looks very good when you compare it to other countries. Although it is good, there it is still important to be ready for new threats and to adapt the resources used by farmers, the government and veterinarians. It is not good enough just to use the same means - you have to permanently adapt to change, and this is for the whole world, not just the US. The US cannot escape from this new way of thinking when faced with new threats.

NGA. What are your predictions for the future regarding animal health and battling disease?
BV. Our priority is to convince all countries to update their legislation and to provide more resources for people who enforce the legislation in the field of animal health; this is especially so with the poorer countries. There are 120 developing countries and OIE members who are not able to deal with a big crisis so we will continue to try and convince the developed countries to help eradicate animal diseases. This is one of our main challenges because this is mainly a problem of lobbying and convincing the international community to invest more in animal health systems and invest more in the training of farmers for a national prevention mechanism. When lobbying we use new arguments, such as demonstrating that food security is a upcoming problem for the planet. We know that demand for food from animal protein that will increase by 50 percent by 2020. Also, the loss of animals linked with bad disease controls is more than 20 percent so we can save thousands of tons of animal protein by better disease control. 

Feeding the world better by controlling animal diseases

Bernard Vallat says the recent food riots in several developing countries serve as a painful reminder of current problems in matching food supply and demand worldwide.

Competition for the use of agricultural land and forests is increasing in pace with the growth in the world's human population: seven billion today, nine billion by 2050. Agricultural land and forests are threatened by urbanisation and public facilities such as roads and recreational parks, as well as by non-food crops used for biofuels or to produce textiles such as linen, cotton and jute, the latter competing with synthetic textiles that are often derived from petrochemicals.

With regard to livestock production, world demand for animal protein (milk, eggs, meat) is expected to rise by 50 percent by 2020, even if the economic growth of recent years is now stabilising. In addition to the increase in the world's human population (principally in developing countries), this growing demand will come from hundreds of millions of poor households in emerging countries joining the middle classes. These households are changing their dietary habits and will in future be eating three meals a day, with far more milk, eggs and meat than was previously the case.

Rising to the challenge

The only way to meet this enormous worldwide demand for animal protein is by intensifying livestock production. This will lead to increased sanitary and environmental risks, which cannot be effectively controlled without increasingly strict regulations and veterinary services that have the power to enforce them within their field of competencies. It should also be noted that more than a billion people around the world currently meeting the criteria for poverty have an economic activity involving livestock. Animals provide them with food protein but they also provide work power (traction, ploughing, irrigation), a cash income and precious natural fertiliser. Animal diseases cost all these social groups dearly. Few studies are available, but it can be estimated that, at the worldwide level, average losses due to animal diseases are more than 20 percent.

Reducing the incidence of these diseases is therefore one of the priorities to be considered in order to feed the world. This requires a clear political will, which the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and its partners such as Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO) must encourage at a worldwide level. Indeed, access to an adequate supply of good quality food is not just an agricultural problem; it is also a worldwide public health problem and must also be approached from this point of view.

Since providing everyone with access to animal protein could be greatly facilitated by reducing the losses caused by animal diseases, it is important to ensure that countries have good quality veterinary services capable of enforcing sanitary legislation in collaboration with livestock producers. For their part, producers must be covered by fast and equitable compensation mechanisms in the event of their animals having to be slaughtered for sanitary reasons, and they should receive appropriate training in animal disease control systems and be fully informed of the need to work hand in hand with veterinarians. To this effect, the OIE has adopted standards on the quality and effectiveness of Veterinary Services.

Potential dangers

It should also be noted that in most countries sanitary controls on food products of animal origin and the prevention of related biological hazards (bacteria, viruses, parasites, toxins) are largely under the responsibility of the Veterinary Services. A document prepared in collaboration with the other international organisations involved in this field was presented to, and adopted by, the national Delegates of OIE Member Countries and Territories during the General Assembly in May 2008 ('The role of Veterinary Services in Food Safety')

While it is true that we already have effective control methods to deal with a number of animal pathogens, there is still much work to be done if we are to achieve a significant reduction in current animal production losses, notably by developing new vaccines, medicines and diagnostic tests. It is quite clear that public-private partnerships are indispensible in order to speed up research programes to develop the tools needed to reduce losses from the various animal diseases, including those transmissible to humans. This research is in fact so expensive that even multinationals are unwilling to embark on developing the products we need. Public sector involvement in this field is both necessary and desirable, since this action clearly fall within the concept of a global public good.

The OIE has a duty to support and even to promote these changes, but they will be greatly facilitated if - unencumbered by taboos, but with the appropriate precautions - they can take advantage of the incredible potential that biotechnologies have to offer, notably in the field of vaccinology. The OIE has already begun to address these topics, and right now our experts are drawing up the first recommendations for submission to our organisation's Specialist Commissions and the General Assembly of national Delegates to the OIE.

The World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) has been in operation for over 80 years. Its mandates include ensuring the transparency in the global animal disease situation; the collection, analysis and dissemination of scientific veterinary information; the provision of expertise and the encouragement of international cooperation in the control of animal diseases; improving the legal framework and resources of national Veterinary Services; and safeguarding world trade in animals and animal products by publishing international health standards.