L’IZSAM in Namibia e Sudafrica per nuovi accordi scientifici

IZSAM has been present for many years in Namibia thanks to projects and collaborations involving on the one hand the Directorate of the Namibian Veterinary Services and on the others hand the several sectors of IZSAM, as for example Epidemiology, Food Hygiene with particular concern for the chemical study of residues in foods of animal origin, Animal Health in particular African horse sickness, the Rift Valley Fever and Lumpy Skin Disease both in domestic and wild animals and, last but not least, the Informative systems for the management of laboratory and epidemiological data.

IZSAM’s Scientific Director Giovanni Savini, accompanied by Doctor Andrea Capobianco and Doctor Massimo Scacchia, who is responsible for the Animal Health Laboratory and for the OIE Reference Laboratory for Brucellosis of the Institute, went to Namibia and South-Africa to take stock of the situation as regards the current cooperation projects and to put in place new collaborations.

The IZSAM’ delegation visited the Etosha National Park to discuss with the Director Boas Erkki and the scientific staff of the park on the first results of the “Arboviridae Project”. They showed mutual satisfaction and expressed a common will to continue the research. In the following days they met the management of the Central Veterinary Laboratory of Windhoek and the Directorate of the Veterinary Services, who asked the Institute to carry out a series of activities, financed by the Directorate itself, and consisting in the training of the staff in the chemical area and in setting up of an Informative system calibrated on the needs of the Namibian laboratories following the example of SIMAN, the Animal Disease Informative System designed, implemented and managed by IZSAM on behalf of the Italian Ministry of Health.

Lastly, on the 26^th and 27^th of March, the IZSAM’ delegation was the guest of the University of Pretoria, where one of the worldwide best faculties of Veterinary Medicine has its seat and which represents a point of scientific reference for the whole African continent. On that occasion the Dean of the Faculty, Darrell Abernethy, and the Scientific Director of IZSAM, Giovanni Savini, signed an agreement, which foresees scientific collaborations on the topics discussed with the representatives of the different University’ sectors: pathologies caused by Orbivirus, diseases transmitted by ticks, Brucellosis and Anthrax, Animal welfare, Public health, Food Hygiene and Commodity Based Trade.