OIE training workshop on epidemiology, in particular of HPAI and TADs in the Philippines, in collaboration with CIRAD and Bureau of Animal Industry : Mission report, 29 January - 2 February 2007. Philippines

Cet atelier a été organisé par l'OIE en collaboration avec le CIRAD et le Bureau of Animal Industry des Philippines. L'objectif visé était de former des agents des bureaux régionaux et nationaux des services vétérinaires à l'épidémiologie des maladies animales, notamment de l'influenza aviaire hautement pathogène et des maladies transfrontalières. La formation reposait sur l'utilisation de deux outils d'apprentissage sur ordinateur: l'un nommé RANEMA, visant à une remise à niveau en épidémiologie des maladies animales et développé par le CIRAD et l'Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort; l'autre nommé RANEMA FLU, version préliminaire d'un nouveau module de RANEMA développé par le CIRAD et s'intéressant à l'influenza aviaire. L'atelier a rassemblé 25 participants du Bureau of Animal Industry et de ses antennes régionales. Il a permis d'améliorer significativement les connaissances en épidémiologie des participants et de passer en revue différents aspects de la surveillance de l'influenza aviaire hautement pathogène, notamment la définition de cas, l'échantillonnage, et l'analyse de risque. La grande motivation des participants ainsi que leur participation active aux activités du cours ont contribué à la réussite de l'atelier et ont permis de couvrir l'intégralité du programme prévu. Les discussions organisées lors des groupes de travail ont permis de passer en revue et de faire une lecture critique des plans nationaux de surveillance des Philippines pour l'influenza aviaire hautement pathogène et la fièvre aphteuse. (Résumé d'auteur

Integrating socio-eco-epidemiological approaches into health research

Sixty percent of emerging infectious diseases events are zoonotic and among those, 72% are caused by pathogens of wildlife origin. The distribution and intensity of most animal and zoonotic diseases have changed in recent years in response to environmental disruption, anthropization and globalization: with increased trade and climate change, health risks have become global, and concern every single country in the world. In an interconnected world, human, animal and environmental healths are inextricably linked. A strong integration of ecology, epidemiology, geography and social science into a cross?disciplinary research framework is crucial for preventing and controlling animal and zoonotic diseases. Research conducted by the AGIRs research unit of CIRAD and its partners is developed within such an integrative eco?epidemiological framework. CIRAD is an FAO and OIE collaborating center for the diagnosis, epidemiology and control of animal diseases and AGIRs' research focuses on the following areas: (i) understanding the ecological and manmade processes that drive the transmission of animal and zoonotic diseases; (ii) optimizing surveillance systems and control strategies; and (iii) assessing the perception of disease risk. The research approach used combines tools and methods developed in ecology (satellite tracking, capture?recapture), epidemiology (risk analysis, modeling), and socioeconomical sciences (social network analysis, cost?benefit analysis). In Southeast Asia, AGIRs' activities are implemented within the framework of the animal health and veterinary public health network GREASE "Management of emerging risks in Southeast Asia". This regional network associates academic and research organizations in five Southeast Asian countries (Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia). It aims to improve, through synergy and sharing of skills on a regional level in Southeast Asia, the management of risks associated with transboundary and emerging diseases. (Texte intégral

Report of the protocol for epidemiological surveys : LoA PR 37212 between FAO and CIRAD

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 virus was first reported in Africa in February 2006 in Nigeria and subsequently infected ten other countries producing considerable socioeconomic losses. The epidemiological characteristics of HPAI H5N1 outbreaks seem to differ from those observed in Asia and this unexpected behaviour has hindered efforts for surveillance and control of the disease. The aim of this study is to improve the understanding of the epidemiology of HPAI in Africa by assessing risk factors for introduction, spread and persistence of HPAI outbreaks in seven infected countries (Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Egypt, Ivory Coast, Niger, Nigeria and Sudan). Standardised methods will be used to review existing HPAI-related information, conduct retrospective HPAI outbreak investigations with biological sample collection, compare infected and non-infected areas, and collect risk factor information at the national level. Collected data and samples will be analysed to provide a standardized description of HPAI situation and outbreak patterns in the seven infected African countries included in the survey, to assess risk factors related to introduction, spread and persistence of HPAI, and to predict, to the best of the available knowledge, areas with the highest likelihood of occurrence of HPAI. Activities will be conducted by a team of national experts (one national survey consultant specifically recruited for the survey in each participating country, agents of the national veterinary services and national veterinary diagnostic laboratories) and international experts from CIRAD, FAO, FLI, IZS, RVC and ULB. The final outcome will be the writing of recommendations to enhance the efficiency of HPAI prevention and control strategies in Africa. (Résumé d'auteur

Mission to Indonesia to participate to the 1st Indonesia- France Seminar in Medicine & Public Health and investigate potential collaborations on animal health : 2nd - 9th of November 2012

Emerging and zoonotic infectious diseases are a major issue in Indonesia. The objective of this mission, funded by the Institut Français d'Indonésie (IFI), was to identify potential subjects of collaboration between CIRAD, Pasteur Institute, and Indonesian universities, research centers, and organizations. Meetings were held in Jakarta, Bogor and Yogyakarta with representatives of FKUI, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Agriculture, the DICs of Denpasar and Kupang, CIVAS, ICASEPS, LIPI, IPB, UGM, UNUD, and FAO. The mission went very well and had very positive outcomes: we were warmly welcomed by our colleagues, had fruitful discussions and identified promising grounds for future collaborations on zoonoses and emerging diseases. The first field of collaboration could be training. Training modules and exchange of staff and students could be organized quite easily and rapidly, especially through the GREASE regional network for the management of emerging epidemiological risks in Southeast Asia or the Institut Pasteur International Network. Some funds should be available at IFI to initiate such training and exchanges. Two fields of research were identified for a second stage of collaboration: rabies and wildlife health. Regarding rabies, comparative and integrated approaches could be used to address research gaps on dog ecology, inter?islands movements of dogs, knowledge attitude and perception regarding dog ownership and rabies, spatial and temporal dynamics of rabies, and exploration of potential wildlife reservoirs. Ideally, these studies would be conducted in islands with different epidemiological contexts. Flores would be a good candidate to start with as this island has benefited from limited rabies research despite the fact that it has experienced more than 200 human rabies cases since the disease first occurred in 1997. Regarding wildlife health, most of the work conducted thus far pertained to conservation medicine for endangered species. There is a strong will to develop studies on the potential pathogen transmission at the interface between wildlife and human/livestock. A more specific research topic identified was a health risk analysis on pioneering fronts in naturally forested areas, especially where palm oil plantation is associated to livestock farming. The collaboration between CIRAD, Pasteur Institute and Indonesian research teams could therefore be initiated as soon as 2013 by training modules, exchange of students and staff, and participation to GREASE meetings and workshops. Proposals for research projects on rabies and wildlife health could be drafted the same year. Special attention would have to be paid for a good communication with the Ministries of Agriculture, Health and Forestry, as well as FAO and other international research teams working in Indonesia, in order to make sure that there is no duplication of activities. (Résumé d'auteur

Epidemiology of avian influenza in Africa (EPIAAF) survey : Midterm report LoA PR 37212 between FAO and CIRAD, May 2008

The objective of the EPIAAF (Epidemiology of Avian Influenza in AFrica) survey is to better understand the epidemiology of HPAI in Africa by assessing risk factors linked to the introduction, diffusion and persistence of HPAI outbreak foci in seven infected countries (Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Egypt, Ivory Coast, Niger, Nigeria and Sudan). The survey officially started in mid-November 2007, after CIRAD and FAO met in Paris in October 2007 to finalize the letter of agreement. Prior to this, a meeting had been organized in Cairo in April 2007 to share with beneficiary countries the survey proposal and to take into account their expectations. A technical meeting was then organised in London and a protocol describing the methodology and activities of the survey was written by the following month within the partner scientific institutions (FAO, CIRAD, ULB, FLI, IZSVe and RVC). Activities of the survey were slightly delayed by the longer than expected recruitment process for the national survey consultants (NSC). The EPIAAF preparation workshop for field work and data collection was therefore organised in February 2008 in Bamako, Mali, and enabled to explain, through presentations, group discussions, and a handson training session, what was expected from each participant, NSCs and international experts. Field investigation missions were successfully conducted in six countries (Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Egypt, Niger, Nigeria and Sudan) between February 23 and April 17, 2008, by teams composed of two international experts, the NSCs, and assistants from the veterinary services. Field investigations in Cameroun were postponed because of civil disturbance in the country when the team of international experts arrived, and are due to finish around May 15. During these six field missions, investigations were conducted in 38 different areas, including 19 with records of H5N1 HPAI (former or current) outbreak ("case" sites) and 19 considered not to have been infected by H5N1 HPAI ("control" sites). A total of 50 questionnaires were filled gathering information on risk factors for the villages and/or commercial farms investigated. Paired biological samples (tracheal swabs, cloacal swabs, and blood samples) were also collected from a total number of 3 334 birds, among which 78% chicken, 14% ducks, and 8% belonging to other poultry species. One set of samples was kept for the national veterinary diagnostic laboratory and the other one shipped to the OIE/FAO reference laboratory at IZSVe Padova. In some cases, not enough serum was collected for both laboratories and priority was given to the IZSVe Padova (with the exception of Nigeria). Batches of samples from the six countries have all been successfully received in Padova (shipment arrangements are in progress for Cameroun) and diagnostic tests (realtime PCR for swab samples, with confirmation by virus isolation for positive; IHA for sera, with confirmation by AGID for positive) totally completed for Burkina Faso and partially completed for Côte d'Ivoire and Niger. No evidence of HPAI H5N1 circulation has so far been detected. Two databases (together with their user¿s manuals) have been developed to store information collected by the NSC regarding risk factors at the national level ("National Survey database") and information collected by the field investigation teams on risk factors at the field investigation sites ("Village Survey database"). The database to store the laboratory results produced by IZSVe Padova is currently under construction and will be completed by May 31. Different kinds of difficulties were encountered in the implementation of the abovementionned activities including a too limited time in between the Bamako meeting and the beginning of field missions to adequately prepare field work, countless obstacles in the shipment of equipment to Africa and of samples from Africa to IZSVe Padova, and alterations to the original protocol because of field issues (civil disturbance, re

Report on evaluation of trainee learning achievement : China FETPV Module 5 (weeks 2-3)

A threeweek intensive revision module was delivered in May and June 2012 as the final part of the two year China FETPV training programme involving a group of 14 trainees which had been selected by FAO. The second and third week were delivered by Cirad and FAO, the first by other trainers able to teach in Chinese. This was a revision module which covered a wide range of topics including biostatistics, disease frequency and causation, designing and evaluating animal health surveillance systems, outbreak investigations, risk assessment and risk communication, scientific writing, scientific presentations, and paper critiquing. The teaching was based on a combination of interactive lectures (with TurningPoint voting to enable audience participation), problem based group learning sessions with case study examples, and one to one mentoring on individual assignments. The teaching in weeks 2 and 3 was delivered jointly by four experienced veterinary epidemiologists from the Royal Veterinary College (Prof. Dirk Pfeiffer, Prof. Javier Guitian, Dr Julian Drewe) and Cirad, the French Research Centre for Agricultural Development (Sophie Molia). Overall learning achievement of trainees was moderate to good. The majority of trainees felt they improved by a lot or a moderate amount in 10 key skills identified at the end of the course, and indicated they would be happy to teach their colleagues some of their newly developed epidemiological skills. The trainees found certain areas difficult, in particular surveillance evaluation and quantitative risk assessment. A constraint to learning was the limited English language ability of several of the trainees. (Résumé d'auteur