Evaluation

The number of cases of avian influenza in birds and in people globally this season is higher than usual and particularly concerning due to the associated risks to poultry industries and human health. Outbreaks were reported in birds in 41 countries across Europe and Asia within six months between May and November 2021, some of which were of subtypes that have zoonotic potential (OIE, 2021a). And the season is still ongoing. The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) calls the genetic variability of subtypes "unprecedented” that creates “an epidemiologically challenging landscape" (OIE, 2021a).

The African Swine Fever (ASF) pandemic is continuing to create challenges globally as the virus spreads to more and more countries: for many of the remaining ASF-free countries, it is no longer a question of “if” but “when” ASF will be introduced. Thailand and Italy confirmed ASF for the first time this month. In Thailand, it was officially recognized as the first outbreak in a slaughterhouse despite speculation that ASF had been present in Thailand for at least several weeks (Reuters, 2022a). In Italy, it was detected in wild boars for the first time on the mainland since1983 (Reuters, 2022b; Danzetta et al., 2020). While the source of the infection is unknown at this time, ASF virus is known to travel long distances due in large part to human behavior, as the virus persists for long periods in pork products and in the environment.

SAFOSO supported a project led by the University of Florida to assess the resilience of state, national, and public veterinary services globally and to investigate the changes in networks of existing collaborations in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is increased attention on the benefits of collaboration across sectors for emergency preparedness in a One Health context.

China has agreed to recognize zones that will allow for the continuation of pork exports from France in the event that African swine fever (ASF) is introduced into France. A favorable agreement was finally reached for effective implementation starting in December 2021 after nearly two years of negotiation (Négociations internationales, 2021).

In December, SAFOSO joined the movement to promote vaccination against COVID-19. In order to convince more people to become vaccinated in German-speaking countries, the @Antoni agency launched the #ZusammenGegenCorona (#TogetherAgainstCorona) initiative.

SAFOSO and FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific organized two back-to-back virtual workshops to develop a tabletop African swine fever (ASF) simulation exercise for national-level adaptation for countries in the Asia and Pacific regions. With support from the United States Defense Threat Reduction Agency and USAID Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, the workshops were conducted in response to veterinarians in the region requesting further face-to-face training support to manage ASF in their countries.

In September 2021, SAFOSO and FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (FAO RAP) organized a virtual feedback session to understand how FAO regional training on African swine fever (ASF) detection and emergency response has been applied in Asia. In the last two years, three rounds of the regional trainings were organized covering nine member countries. Five of the countries have been conducting trainings with veterinary staff at provincial and district levels on ASF detection and response. Even in the COVID-19 pandemic, the country teams succeeded in implementing the activity in a strict health protocol mode.

During the 5th EFSA-EUFORA induction training, twenty-five mid-career scientists from eight European countries and from Georgia, Belarus and Azerbaijan were trained on topics related to food safety. SAFOSO proudly coordinated the implementation of the 5th cycle of the EFSA-EUFORA Induction Training from the 30th of August until the 17th of September in collaboration with AGES (Austria), BfR (Germany) and EFET (Greece). The training covered various topics related to food safety risk assessment including introduction to food safety principles, statistics and modelling, epidemiology, microbiological and chemical risk assessment.

Who are the people behind SAFOSO? What inspires them and how do they contribute to solving animal health challenges? Amanda Tang shares her story.

It has been suggested by scientists that the ASF pandemic may have indirectly contributed to the COVID-19 pandemic, since pork shortages in China may have led to increased farming and consumption of wildlife. This increase in live wildlife-human contacts may have increased the risk of spillover events, such as that which allowed SARS-CoV-2 to adapt to humans. Although the theory is interesting and has been substantiated through publication in Science magazine this August and in Nature last year, there is not enough scientific evidence at this time to link ASF directly to COVID-19.

The design and development of a roadmap marks an important milestone for the national raw milk control program in the Ukraine. SAFOSO was proud to lead this multi-lateral partnership effort under the framework of the “Higher Value Added Trade from the Organic and Dairy Sector in Ukraine.” The road map describes the upscaling process of the control program from four pilot oblasts to the national level in the Ukraine. The overall vision is that of a fully running control program on raw milk that contributes to the health and wellbeing of the Ukrainian population, that guarantees a higher product quality and a stronger dairy sector, and that can inspire sustainable trade and job creation.