EU, China Cooperate on Brucellosis Control
CHINA - An EU-China Seminar on Brucellosis Surveillance and Control was held in Qingdao, Shandong last week.
26 June 2013
2 minute read
The Seminar, held on 19 June, was jointly hosted by MOA Bureau of Veterinary Service and EU-China Trade Project (EUCTP) Office, and organized by China Animal Health and Epidemiology Center (CAHEC), according to the Ministry of Agriculture.
The Seminar discussed the implementation of the memorandum of understanding between China and EU on cooperation in animal health and the improvement of Brucellosis prevention and control capacity.
Brucellosis is a zoonosis. In recent years, its incidence has been on the rise in the north of China especially in pastoral area, which seriously affected livestock production and farmers'health.
To intensify Brucellosis control, in 2012, the State Council released the National Medium and Long-Term Plan for Animal Disease Control (2012-2020) which listed Brucellosis as a major zoonosis, and set clear goals for its prevention and control.
Brucellosis has been eradicated in most of the European countries. In order to draw experiences and introduce control technology from Europe, MOA and European Commission's Directorate General for Health and Consumer Protection (DG SANCO) jointly initiated a Brucellosis control project in 2012. This Project focuses on cooperation on Brucellosis diagnoses and molecular testing for pathogens.
At the Seminar, Dr Bruno Garin-Bastuji, head of the Bacterial Zoonoses Unit of EU/World Organization for Animal Health (OIE)/FAO Reference Laboratory for Brucellosis shared EU's Brucellosis control experiences. He pointed out that,to effectively control and eradicate Brucellosis, it is vital to implement a multi-stage step-by-step control plan and strengthen control measures at source. He also called for constant investment from governments, active participation and collaboration between relevant departments and support from the private sector.
Science-based and appropriate control measures should be adopted according to the real situation including vaccination, surveillance, culling, and movement control. He said to create a network of Brucellosis laboratories and improve lab diagnosis capacity can provide strong technical support to Brucellosis prevention and control.
The Seminar was attended by experts from MOA, National Health and Family Planning Commission of China(NHFPC), EUCTP Office, EU/OIE Reference Laboratory for Brucellosis and provincial animal disease prevention and control centres.
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