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Participation in international animal disease control projects (incl. wild bird monitoring)
Project
Project code: FLI-Leitg-02-229
Contract period: 01.01.2007
- 31.12.2009
Purpose of research: Basic research
Within a few months HPAI H5N1 has spread over Eurasia and as far as North and West Africa. Among the affected countries are countries where migratory birds overwintering in Germany have their breeding areas (marshes and wetlands in the subarctic Eurasia). In addition, infections were detected in countries (especially on the African continent) where migratory birds overwinter whose breeding areas are in Germany. Many of these countries are not in a position to carry out an adequate wild bird monitoring. Especially in large parts of Africa reliable data on the occurrence of AIV in wild birds and domestic poultry are missing. Recently, the renowned scientific journal Nature pointed out the lack of a coordinated animal disease surveillance on the international level (Butler, D., 2006. Disease surveillance needs a revolution. Nature 440, p. 6-7). Germany and France have established a common Task Force which has already undertaken first missions to West Africa to prepare epidemiological investigations in cooperation with local government representatives and scientists. Similar joint projects should be initiated in other regions. For this purpose, a significant improvement of the technical equipment of the German participants ist required. Partially, this can be done in close cooperation with international organisations (FAO, OIE); however, such projects have proven to be too slow and too inflexible within the past few months. Therefore, bilateral cooperations, which cannot be supported otherwise at short term, but which are of national interest for the identification of potential routes of introduction (e.g. cooperation with the Baltic states, Poland, Belurus, the Russian Federation, North and Central Africa), should be intensified. Partially, synergistic effects with the German priorities of development cooperation with African states might occur. An efficient worldwide coordination of the animal disease surveillance is indispensable.
Section overview
Subjects
- Animal health
- Special animal species
- Wildlife Biology
- Biotechnology
Framework programme
Funding programme
Excutive institution
Friedrich-Loeffler-Institute - Federal Research Institute for Animal Health (FLI)