Summary
To
respond to the lack of early warning in dealing with livestock diseases,
the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) developed and launched
the Emergency Prevention System for Transboundary Animal and Plant
Pests and Diseases (EMPRES) programme in 1994. Emphasis was placed
on the prevention of emergencies due to transboundary epidemic diseases
of livestock of significant economic, trade and/or food security
importance. EMPRES early warning activities, mainly based on disease
surveillance, reporting and epidemiological analysis are supported
by the EMPRES-i information system which enables integration, analysis
and sharing of animal health data, combined with relevant layers
of information, such as socio-economic, production and climatic
data. Indeed, data integration, analysis and mapping represent a
key step towards a better understanding of the distribution and
behaviour, source and evolution of a disease (or infection) for
the definition of appropriate cost-effective disease control strategies.
With the emergence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1
in South-East Asia and its rapid spread beyond its known original
distribution range, through its EMPRES programme the FAO has invested
time and resources in the implementation of several studies to reveal
HPAI epidemiological features in specific ecosystems of Asia and
advise member countries accordingly on the best disease control
options. Some of the key findings are presented in this paper and
illustrate the incredible potential of using geographic information
systems as part of international early warning systems and their
multiple applications in the surveillance and control of infectious
diseases, such as HPAI.
Keywords
Early
warning, EMPRES-i, Epidemiology, Food and Agriculture Organization,
Geographic information system, Highly pathogenic avian influenza,
Spatial analysis, Transboundary animal disease.
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