Third SAARC Epidemiology Networking (SAARC EpiNet) Meeting. A Network for Promoting Effective & Efficient TADs Control

Transcription

1 REPORT Third SAARC Epidemiology Networking (SAARC EpiNet) Meeting A Network for Promoting Effective & Efficient TADs Control 2-3 February 2016, Kathmandu, Nepal

2 REPORT Third SAARC Epidemiology Networking (SAARC EpiNet) Meeting A Network for Promoting Effective & Efficient TADs Control 2-3 February 2016, Kathmandu, Nepal

3 Contents Acronyms and abbreviations 7 Executive Summary 8 Background and rationale of the workshop 10 Inaugural session: Welcome and Opening of the Workshop 11 Technical session 1: The situational updates and proposals SAARC EpiNet Forum and veterinary epidemiology capacity building initiatives undertaken by RSU-SAARC - Pasang Tshering, RSU-SAARC, FAO Veterinary Epidemiology Capacity Development in Asia (Epidemiology Advocacy meetings) - K. Wongsathapornchai, ECTAD, FAORAP Disease risk modelling and predictive risk mapping for HPAI in Nepal and Bhutan - Ravi Dissanayake, RSU-SAARC, FAO 16 Technical session 2: Epidemiological tools and practices How epidemiology can contribute to the better management of changing disease landscapes - Peter Black, FAO ECTAD RAP Epidemiology capacity needs assessment using Epidemiology Mapping Tool (EMT) - K. Wongsathapornchai, FAO ECTAD RAP Engagement of high-level decision makers in veterinary epidemiology in China - Tang Hao, ECTAD FAO China Veterinary epidemiology training programmes at National Institute of Veterinary Epidemiology and Disease Informatics (ICAR-NIVEDI) Dr Divakar Hemadri, ICAR-NIVEDI, Bangaluru 20 Closing session 21 Technical session 3: Veterinary epidemiology capacity in the Member States Veterinary epidemiology human resource capacities in the country Institutional capacities Short course training organized by the Ministry/Department Animal Health information/database system Gaps and support required 36 Technical session 3a: Poster presentations on sharing of Success Stories from the region 39 Technical session 4: Group work for developing frameworks and road maps Group work 1: SAARC EpiNet forum meetings and sustainability (Framework & Roadmap) Group work 2: SAARC Animal Disease Information System (SADIS) platform 47 Annex1: Agenda 51 Annex 2: List of participants 54 Annex 3: Poster presentations on sharing of Success Stories from the SAARC region 57

4 6 Third SAARC Regional Epidemiology Networking Workshop/Meeting, 2-3 February 2016 Annex 3a: Sanitary Mandate Contractual Scheme (SMCS) in Afghanistan: a tool for epidemiological surveillance 57 Annex 3b: Development of One Health Policies and Practices in Bangladesh: Lessons learned 58 Annex 3c: Survey of Free-Roaming Dogs, Rabies Control & Dog Population Management using Capture-Neuter- Vaccinate-Release (CNVR) Technique in Bhutan 59 Annex 3d: National Animal Disease Reporting System (NADRS), India 60 Annex 3e: Epidemiology Needs Assessment using Epidemiology Mapping Tool (EMT) and its Application in Nepal 61 Annex 3f: Strategy for Progressive Control of Foot and Mouth Disease in Pakistan 62 Annex 3g: Animal Health Information System in Sri Lanka List of Tables Table 1: Veterinary epidemiologists in the country working for the Ministry/ Department concerned 23 Table 2: Veterinary epidemiologists by short term diploma or certificates course training and working for the Department/Ministry 25 Table 3: Inventory of veterinary epidemiologists with Masters or higher degrees working in the country 26 Table 4: Inventory of veterinary epidemiologists (attended some modules in Veterinary Epidemiology) 28 Table 5: Institutions which offers formal veterinary epidemiology training 29 Table 6: Institutions offering veterinary epidemiology courses as a component of their basic degree 30 Table 7: Tertiary institutions or agencies offering training in veterinary epidemiology 31 Table 8: In-service training offered (adhoc or regular) by the concerned Ministry/ Department in veterinary epidemiology related topics 32 Table 9: National Animal Health Information/Database System implemented in the country 35 Table 10: Gaps in epidemiology capacity and type of technical support countries expect from development partners to help countries build the capacity. 36 Table 11: Collective observation of the participants on the posters presented by Member States 40 List of Figures Figure 1: Structure, roles & responsibilities of the stakeholders of the Forum 42 Figure 2: Activities to be implemented by the key stakeholders of the Forum 43 Figure 3: SAARC EpiNet Forum and Information Flow framework 43 Figure 4: Proposed structure of the SAARC Animal Disease Information System (SADIS) Platform 49

5 Third SAARC Regional Epidemiology Networking Workshop/Meeting, 2-3 February Acronyms and abbreviations ADB AI ASEAN AVEG AVET BSL CDC CNVR CVO DTRA ECTAD EMPRES EMPRES-i EMT EU FAO FAO RAP FETPV FETPV-E FMD GIS GPS HPAI ICAR ICT ID NADRS OIE OIE-PVS PPP PPR ProMED QGIS RAP RSU RSU-SAARC SAARC SDG TAD TOR USDA WAHIS Asian Development Bank Avian Influenza Association of South East Asian Nations ASEAN Veterinary Epidemiology Group Applied Veterinary Epidemiology Training Bio-Safety Level Center for Disease Control and Prevention Capture-Neuter-Vaccinate-Release Chief Veterinary Officer Defense Threat Reduction Agency Emergency Centre for Tarns-boundary Animal Disease Emergency Prevention System for Transboundary Animal and Plant Pests & Diseases EMPRES Global Animal Disease Information System Epidemiology Mapping Tool European Union Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations FAO Region for Asia and the Pacific Field Epidemiology Training Programme for Veterinarians Field Epidemiology Training Programme for Veterinarians (for Executives) Food and Mouth Disease Geographic Information System Global Positioning System Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Indian Council of Agricultural Research Information and Communication Technology Identification National Animal Disease Reporting System, India World Organization for Animal Health World Organization for Animal Health- Performance of Veterinary Services Public-Private-Partnership Peste des petits ruminants Program for Monitoring Emerging Diseases Quantum Geographic Information System Region for the Asia Pacific Regional Support Unit Regional Support Unit for SAARC South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations Trans-boundary Animal Disease Terms of Reference United States Department of Agriculture World Animal Health Information System of OIE

6 8 Third SAARC Regional Epidemiology Networking Workshop/Meeting, 2-3 February 2016 Executive Summary Following the recommendations of the first consultative epidemiology and laboratory networking meeting held in July 2011 in Kathmandu, an epidemiology networking meeting was conducted in August 2013 in Paro, Bhutan entitled Second SAARC Regional Epidemiology Networking Meeting or the SAARC EpiNet meeting during which the draft SAARC-EpiNet forum proposal along with the Terms of Reference (TOR) for the network were developed. A rationale and mechanism for disease information sharing between the MSs was also developed in the same meeting. All the relevant meeting recommendations were then put up to the respective Chief Veterinary Officers (CVOs) which were endorsed during the Special SAARC CVO session in August 2015 in Bangkok. To reinforce the past efforts and take forward the process, the third SAARC EpiNet meeting was held from 2-3 February 2016 in Kathmandu, Nepal. The meeting facilitated sharing of information and networking among the national epidemiology focal points and or participants from the MSs. The meeting enabled the development of the road map for the operationalization of the SAARC EpiNet forum and taking of ownership of the forum by the MSs. The meeting also developed a framework for the regional disease information system, i.e., SAARC Animal Disease Information System (SADIS) platform and mechanism of sharing disease information. During the two-day meeting, national delegates shared their country-specific status on human resources and veterinary epidemiology institutional capacities, capacity building activities being implemented as well as gaps and needs pertaining to the subject area. Some good practices as practiced by some countries and which could be useful in the regional context were also shared through poster presentations prepared by the country delegates. Participants had the opportunity to learn about some epidemiological tools and practices presented by respective experts in the field. The meeting which successfully concluded on 3 rd February was attended by a total of 30 participants including 13 delegates from seven South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) MSs of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka and from ECTAD FAO RAP, ECTAD Bangladesh and China, a resource person from India (ICAR_NIVEDI), an observer from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) of USA. The closing session was graced by Dr Keshav Premy, Director General (DG) and the current SAARC CVO, Department of Livestock Services (DoLS), Ministry of Livestock Development, Nepal in the presence of Mr MJH Jabed, Director (ARD) of SAARC Secretariat, and Dr Peter Black, Deputy Regional Manager, ECTAD FAO RAP Bangkok. The opening session was inaugurated by Dr Vijay Kant Jha, Deputy Director General, Department of Livestock Service Nepal in the presence of Mr Govind P Gewali,

7 Third SAARC Regional Epidemiology Networking Workshop/Meeting, 2-3 February Nepal Resident Mission of ADB apart from the officials present during the closing session except the DG of DoLS. A framework and a roadmap to strengthen the operationalization of SAARC EpiNet forum were developed after intensive discussion and deliberation and the following recommendations were proposed and adopted by the house; A. Considering the need expressed for building veterinary epidemiology capacity in the Members States, it was recommended that; 1. To enhance epidemiology capacity, any training should focus on developing core competencies and skills embracing also the One Health concept. 2. RSU/SAARC explore support from more partners and donors to conduct epidemiology capacity building and networking activities in the region. 3. FAO and RSU to support, based on request, assessment of veterinary epidemiology capacity in SAARC countries using Epidemiology Mapping Tool (EMT) developed by FAO. 4. Functional national animal disease database system be established in all Members States if it does not exist or properly function at present. 5. A module similar to the Field Epidemiology Training Programme for Veterinarians (for Executives) entitled FETPV-E be advocated during the next SAARC CVO forum 6. RSU-SAARC continue supporting the SAARC-EpiNet forum for now and RSU-SAARC and SAARC Secretariat jointly explore other options to sustain the same. B. Considering that there are tangible benefits for all countries in sharing disease information among member countries it was recommended that; 1. Countries start sharing priority animal and zoonotic disease outbreaks and related information in real time with SADIS platform to be developed and managed by RSU-SAARC 2. Apart from information related to disease outbreaks, control measures, routine or extra ordinary vaccination campaigns, legislative acts, etc be also considered for sharing through the platform C. The outputs of the two group exercises(saarc EpiNet Forum and the SADIS), when finalized, be put up to the CVOs through the SAARC Secretariat for their early endorsement and implementation. A brief on the specific actions to be endorsed and implemented by the CVOs will be prepared by RSU-SAARC after consolidation of the TOR for the SAARC-EpiNet forum developed in 2013.

8 10 Third SAARC Regional Epidemiology Networking Workshop/Meeting, 2-3 February 2016 Background and rationale of the workshop It is being increasingly realized that progress in controlling a trans-boundary animal disease (TAD) at individual country level is less likely to achieve success, can be unsustainable and definitely more expensive than through regional approaches. Strong and sustainable cooperation among the sub-regional MSs is a prerequisite for the success of preventing or controlling TADs. It is also recognized that in addition to the public health concerns due to zoonotic influenza viruses and rabies, high impact economically important diseases such as foot and mouth disease (FMD), peste des petits ruminants (PPR) and highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) are endemic in the region thereby impacting immensely on the socio-economic fabric of the society in South Asia. Considering these complex problems and the associated adverse impact on the livelihoods, human health, and food security in the region, South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) jointly established the Regional Support Unit for SAARC (RSU-SAARC) in Kathmandu, Nepal in RSU-SAARC in close collaboration with the SAARC Secretariat is implementing a two-year project entitled Regional Capacity Development for Regional Cooperation on Food Security through Control of Transboundary Animal Diseases in South Asia GCP/RAS/294/ASB, funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), effective from August The project is primarily aimed to contribute towards elimination of food insecurity and improve livelihoods in the SAARC region through control of priority TADs and other high impact diseases including zoonoses. This is to be achieved by way of building epidemiology and laboratory capacities; networking of the national epidemiology units/centres for disease information exchanges and capacity building, developing regional disease control approaches and harmonization of disease prevention and control among SAARC MSs. Networks notably play a big role in information sharing and fostering collaboration between the national epidemiological points of the MSs for harmonization of approaches in disease control, management of cross border livestock movements, sharing of expertise, building epidemiology and laboratory capacities, and access to quality vaccines during emergencies. Such networks can also improve regional and sub-regional regulatory frameworks and ensure coherent cross-border strategies for TADs prevention, response and control or eradication. Following the recommendations of the first consultative epidemiology and laboratory networking meeting held in July 2011 in Kathmandu, the second Epidemiology networking meeting was conducted in August 2013 in Paro, Bhutan entitled Second SAARC Regional Epidemiology Networking Meeting or SAARC - EpiNet meeting during which, the draft proposal for a SAARC-EpiNet forum along with the Terms

9 Third SAARC Regional Epidemiology Networking Workshop/Meeting, 2-3 February of Reference (TOR) for the network were developed. A rationale and mechanism for disease information sharing between the MSs(MSs) was also developed in the same meeting. All the relevant meeting recommendations were then put up to the respective Chief Veterinary Officers (CVOs) which were endorsed during the special CVO meeting in August 2015 in Bangkok. To reinforce the past efforts and take forward the process for the operationalization of the SAARC EpiNet forum, the third SAARC EpiNet meeting was organized from 2-3 February 2016 in Kathmandu, Nepal. The main focus of the meeting was to develop a roadmap for the operationalization of the EpiNet forum and also to develop a framework for the SAARC Animal Disease Information System (SADIS) platform. To be relevant, invitations to the meeting were extended to the head of the national veterinary epidemiology unit/ centre and a veterinary epidemiologist from each country to come up with appropriate and feasible recommendations for developing the EpiNet Forum roadmap. Objectives of the meeting 1. To operationalize and consolidate the SAARC EpiNet forum and upgrade to an annual meeting with ownership by Members States and with technical support from RSU/FAO 2. To finalize the regional disease information sharing SAARC Disease Information System (SADIS) platform framework and mechanism 3. Review progress on the follow up of the last meeting especially on the nomination and endorsement of national epidemiology focal points, endorsement of the TOR for the SAARC EpiNet and the rational and mechanism of information sharing by the MSs. 4. Share experience(s) and expertise of any successful disease control interventions instituted by the member countries and new technologies/ tools/approaches being practiced elsewhere. 5. Create a platform for interested partners/donors to participate and explore potential PPP model for sustaining some of the activities of RSU in collaboration with the member-countries Inaugural session: Welcome and Opening of the Workshop The opening session was graced by the Officiating Director General, Dr VK Jha, DDG, Department of Livestock Services, Government of Nepal, the Director at SAARC Secretariat, Mr M J Jabed, Drs Peter Black and Kachen Wongsathapornchai from FAO ECTAD RAP and Mr Govinda P Gewali, from ADB Nepal office. A welcome address was delivered by Santanu Bandyopadhyay, RSU Coordinator who explained the importance of the meeting and also the genesis of the

10 12 Third SAARC Regional Epidemiology Networking Workshop/Meeting, 2-3 February 2016 establishment of RSU-SAARC and the Regional Epidemiology Centre (REC) in And continuance of the establishments through the ADB funded project Regional Capacity Development for Regional Cooperation on Food Security through Control of Transboundary Animal Diseases in South Asia GCP/RAS/294/ASB, implemented by FAO for the SAARC Region through RSU-SAARC. He stated that epidemiology remains poorly under-utilized by animal health managers and administrators in South Asia and how FAO and its partners are collectively working together to increase their awareness and understanding of the importance of building epidemiology capacity for early warning, rapid detection and rapid response to the existing and also emerging diseases. Enhancing veterinary epidemiology capacity to face the complex challenges and importantly, the networking between the institutions and experts for collectively responding to these challenges, are of paramount importance. He stressed that the efforts made through this networking meeting will strengthen such regional capacities to effectively respond to TADs prevention and control. Dr Peter Black, Deputy Regional Manager, FAO ECTAD RAP on behalf RAP and FAO began his opening remarks emphasizing on the importance of epidemiology as a very critical element in terms of formulating good disease prevention and control programme. He said that a CVO in a country requires the support of the epidemiologists, who in turn should be analysing the data/information and interpreting the information to allow policy advice and decisions to formulate good disease prevention and control plans. Therefore, all should aim to develop such capacities for achieving better prevention and control of diseases in the region. Apart from TADs which are important, some other important diseases may emerge in future which will require good epidemiologists to support the CVOs and other people/agencies involved in disease prevention and control. Many diseases emerged/re-emerged over the last 20 years and here too the epidemiologists were at the centre of the stage advising the medical officers. He observed that each country may have different capacities and priorities but very broadly, all have a common interest, which is preventing or controlling diseases and in making better decisions regarding these interventions. He closed his remarks with an adage If you want to go FAST go ALONE and if you want to go FAR go TOGETHER stressing on the importance of going far in terms of effectively and efficiently responding to TADs and other high impact disease prevention and control. Mr M J Jabed, Director, Division of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD), SAARC Secretariat in his opening remarks spoke on the central purpose of the meeting which was to consolidate the progress made so far in the epidemiology networking and capacity building and regional collaboration. Zoonotic AI viruses and other high impact diseases had been the core agenda for international organizations for a long time. During the last decade, enhancement of biosecurity has been a priority not only at the national or regional levels but also at global contexts. To address such disease threats

11 Third SAARC Regional Epidemiology Networking Workshop/Meeting, 2-3 February which are not confined to one nation or the region, ad-hoc approaches at the local Government level may not always be sufficient. It will require rather collective efforts and coherent approaches across regions to be more effective and which, in a way, can also optimize the limited resources available in the region. He then touched on how, with the success of the Highly Pathogenic Emerging Diseases (HPEDs) project funded by EU from , SAARC Secretariat and FAO were able to get support for the ADB funding for the two year project, which commenced from August He also emphasized that while this project is at the moment being implemented by FAO through the RSU-SAARC, the SAARC MSs will have to own up the regional mechanism eventually. Importance of epidemiology networking and disease information sharing are considered very important and development of a SADIS platform, an item on the agenda, will go a long way to establish its our own regional disease information system similar to Global Animal Disease Information System (EMPRES-i) or ASEAN Regional Animal Health Information System (ARAHIS). The participants, being epidemiologists should be playing an important role back home providing technical expert inputs to their CVOs for informed decision making for the control of TADs. The importance of building a good pool of epidemiologists in the country along with the significance of regional epidemiology networking should be well advocated to the CVOs. Mr Govinda P Gewali, from the ADB stated that after looking at the agenda and the objectives of the meeting, he felt ADB s participation in supporting these important initiatives was critical. Disease affects livelihoods and food security of many people and countries should recognize how collective efforts can better address such disease issues rather than working in isolation. He was therefore, convinced that ADB is going in the right direction by supporting the project to address such important regional issues. VK Jha, Deputy Director General, Department of Livestock Services, Nepal on behalf of the Secretary of the Ministry of Livestock Development welcomed the participants to Kathmandu in his inaugural speech. He observed that livestock is central to food security and poverty alleviation. Since TADs respect no international boundaries to control, the national efforts alone are not sufficient and needs regional coordination and collaboration. Disease information sharing is essential for early detection and early warning and thereby preventing disease outbreak impacts for which strong surveillance system should be in place. Therefore, the past EpiNet meeting recommendations need to be pursued to realise the expected gains for the region. FMD and PPR control programmes have been initiated in Nepal following the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) guidelines and the support from FAO and RSU were crucial in controlling the HPAI outbreaks in Nepal in the past for which he thanked the organization and the RSU-SAARC team. He also expressed Nepal s commitment towards the regional mechanism to control TADs in the region.

12 14 Third SAARC Regional Epidemiology Networking Workshop/Meeting, 2-3 February 2016 Technical session 1: The situational updates and proposals 1. SAARC EpiNet Forum and veterinary epidemiology capacity building initiatives undertaken by RSU-SAARC - Pasang Tshering, RSU-SAARC, FAO The presentation included the various initiatives the REC, RSU-SAARC had undertaken during the EU funded project implementation between 2010 and The Centre mainly focused on veterinary epidemiology capacity development for the region and the establishment of a network, called SAARC EpiNet Forum of the national veterinary epidemiology focal points and animal health officials from MSs. The need for all these initiatives arose because of existing weak veterinary epidemiology capacity in South Asia region in general and also because global experience having demonstrated that combating TADs effectively require regional or cross-border cooperation and collaboration. The past initiatives in epidemiology capacity building centered around training in basic veterinary epidemiology and risk analysis, strengthening surveillance and information systems, harmonization and development of road maps for diseases prevention and control, etc. The activities included conceptualizing and conducting of two short courses (3 weeks duration) called the Field Epidemiology Training Programme for Veterinarians (FETPV), one week training each in risk analysis and risk based surveillance, 10 days training in TAD-info database system and Quantum GIS (QGIS), road map meetings on FMD and PPR control, and some other regional level meetings. Considering the importance and the need for establishing a sustainable network structure in the region to address TADs, much effort had been spent on formalizing and establishing a SAARC EpiNet Forum. The forum is expected to be attended by the officially nominated national veterinary epidemiology focal points and an alternate person besides some other senior animal health officials from the MSs. The genesis of the past EpiNet meeting towards developing the TOR and the framework of the forum was explained. During the past two meetings, one each in 2012 and 2013, the TOR and framework for the forum were developed and a draft outline of the SADIS platform to share regional disease data/information and other related information was also described. The aim of the current meeting was to develop a road map for the operationalization of the Forum including sustainability of the forum and a framework of the SADIS platform including a mechanism for disease information sharing. Once the national veterinary epidemiology focal points along with the alternate person are officially nominated by respective MSs then the first SAARC EpiNet Forum could

13 Third SAARC Regional Epidemiology Networking Workshop/Meeting, 2-3 February be planned and conducted. It was explained that the MSs will have to own up the Forum eventually and it was expected that a member country volunteer to host the first meeting with support provided from the RSU-SAARC. Regular communication between the focal points need to be maintained using Skype and to follow up on the decisions taken during the forum meeting until the next meeting. Limitations and challenges were also noted, such as, i) walking the talk from the counterparts in MSs to act on the recommendations from the meetings which at the moment may be less than desired, ii) the Government authorities yet to recognize that eventually the MSs have to own up the regional mechanism and its activities, iii) inappropriate nominations to attend such meetings by certain countries are hindering the expected progress of the regional initiative. 2. Veterinary Epidemiology Capacity Development in Asia (Epidemiology Advocacy meetings) - K. Wongsathapornchai, ECTAD, FAORAP Dr. Kachen Wongsathapornchai presented on how the first Asian regional meeting to support and sustain veterinary epidemiology capacity in the region was initiated in 2010 followed by a follow up meeting in November The objectives of the initiative included i) identifying the benefits, which the countries in the region gain, ii) identifying the needs, gaps and required investments in epidemiology capacity building, iii) sharing of experiences in building epidemiology capacities, and iv) sharing ideas to sustain such epidemiology capacities. It was observed from the country s self-assessment reports that institutional capacities were rated higher than the individual capacities and it was suggested to explore the linkage between the institutional and individual capacities. On the evidence-based approach for policy decisions, organizing the Regional FETPV and the meeting outputs to support animal health programmes targeting in-service training model for the field veterinarians were given as some examples. On the experience sharing front, i) application of epidemiology in animal health, production and food safety, ii) human resource management (use of trained epidemiologists and staff retention), iii) building quality rather than quantity in field epidemiology, and iv) multi-sectoral collaboration and public private partnerships issues were highlighted. The main recommendations from the first meeting, i) agreed to support the development of capacity in veterinary epidemiology within veterinary services to the fullest extent possible, particularly in organizational structure and resource mobilization, including appropriate staffing, ii) agree to utilize existing capacity in veterinary epidemiology that has been developed through programs such as FETPV,

14 16 Third SAARC Regional Epidemiology Networking Workshop/Meeting, 2-3 February 2016 iii) agree to utilize epidemiology to support multi-disciplinary, multi-sectoral and multihazard approach to emergency management. Since the first meeting, many initiatives were undertaken such as establishment of the EU funded RSUs for ASEAN and SAARC, organizing regional epinet meetings, conducting FEPTV in some countries (China, Viet Nam- AVET, Cambodia), organizing Epidemiology Consortium meetings, establishing ASEAN Veterinary Epidemiology Group (AVEG), and development of an Epidemiology Mapping Tool to assess epidemiology capacity. The second follow-up meeting in 2015 to review progress, share experiences and lessons learned, and for identifying way forward for building functional capacities and networking created a format for developing strategies and networks with partners such as, Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD), United States Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (US CDC), International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Massey University, United States Agency for International Development (USAID, Emerging Pandemic Threat-One Health Workforce (EPT2 OHW), University of Minnesota, Field Epidemiology Training (FETP) Thailand. The meeting came up with six recommendations covering themes around i) applications of epidemiology capacities developed and to advocate on the impacts for the enhancement of the opportunities and incentives of the trained personnel, ii) support evidence-based capacity development using available tools like Veterinary Epidemiology Mapping Tool (EMT) and iii) coordination and sharing of experience among the MSs to ensure efficient use of resources and improve veterinary epidemiology capacity in the region. 3. Disease risk modelling and predictive risk mapping for HPAI in Nepal and Bhutan - Ravi Dissanayake, RSU- SAARC, FAO A robust surveillance system is necessary for early detection of diseases. As it involves a lot of resources money, time and human resource, it is impossible to conduct nationwide surveys for which some practical yet acceptable approach will be required. Therefore, it is vital to find ways to identify areas with higher chances of detecting disease(s) to save costs and time. Risk based surveillance was considered an alternative approach for which risk factors needed to be identified and mapped to find the distribution of risk using modelling techniques. These possible risk factors (contributory or influencing factors) are in turn identified/assumed based on epidemiological knowledge of a disease and the environment. Risk for a particular diseases is not static and can vary with the host factors, agroclimatic characteristics, geographical factors, and anthropogenic factors. These

15 Third SAARC Regional Epidemiology Networking Workshop/Meeting, 2-3 February include; altitude, season of the year, climate, temperature, precipitation, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), population density of an animal species, human population density, value chain or other human activities, etc. Some risk factors can be avoided or changed while others cannot, such as weather, elevation, etc. Some risks are significant while others may be just contributing to the risk. So, focus is to be given to those high risk factors in surveillance so that advice can be provided to minimize those risks factors. Several statistical methods exist to identify risk factors and risk areas can be identified and mapped. Predicting the risk for the future occurrence of a disease or probability of future occurrence of a disease across space can be assessed. In modeling, predictions are based on characteristics of previous outbreak locations. There are many techniques for predictive modeling of risk such as Logistic regression, Boosted regression tree, Mahalanobis distance, MaxEnt, BIOCLIM, etc. Using past outbreak data (longitude and latitude) from World Animal Health Information System (WAHIS) of OIE, national database, EMPRES-i, or Program for Monitoring Emerging Diseases (ProMED) and open source GIS data along with a set of known predictor variables, HPAI risk maps were prepared for Nepal and Bhutan. Boosted regression tree method and R statistical method were used for the purpose. Technical session 2: Epidemiological tools and practices 1. How epidemiology can contribute to the better management of changing disease landscapes - Peter Black, FAO ECTAD RAP The presentation briefly covered the generic Foresight process and how epidemiology helps to make decisions in the face of changing and complex systems. Epidemiology was explained as the study of what is upon the people - what, when, where, how, why and who of disease. The significance of the two triads : animal-place-time and host-agent-environment was also elaborated. The change in the disease patterns or drivers in the complex changing system is influenced by; forest cover/resource use, human population (distribution, diet and demand), trade, climate (variability), animal production (location, system, species, diet, waste management) and association with other animals (e.g. wildlife - bat populations). With increasing population growth, increasing availability and demand for various livestock products (growth in total number or livestock/relative growth in importance of poultry), changing farming systems (more intensification/larger farms/contract farms) and longer cross border supply chains the TADs scenario will be changing.

16 18 Third SAARC Regional Epidemiology Networking Workshop/Meeting, 2-3 February 2016 What is likely to happen with respect to TADs could be; i) more disease/spill over events, ii) increasing rates of spill over? (where and when?), iii) animal to animal spread?, iv) emergence of hot spots and predictions. Such a scenario will lead to increased requirement for epidemiology capacity for to i) better understand disease dynamics and drivers, ii) better prevent and control disease, iii) better inform policy makers for better policy decisions, all for better health for all. Therefore, it is necessary to invest in epidemiological capacity building to produce a much larger pool of people with epidemiology skills. Political recognition will be needed to realize that this investment in epidemiology capacity building is a good risk management. 2. Epidemiology capacity needs assessment using Epidemiology Mapping Tool (EMT) - K. Wongsathapornchai, FAO ECTAD RAP The need for evidence-based epidemiology capacity assessment was found to be a necessity. The assessment can include both technical and functional capacities across individual, organizational and enabling environment dimensions. Technical and functional capacities shall include policy and normative, knowledge, partnering and implementation capacities. The epidemiology capacity is assessed at institutional (at local, sub-national and national) and individual (pre-service, in-service and post graduate) levels including multi-sectoral collaboration matters. The key principles of EMT application are: i) country sends a request to FAO, ii) it is re-assessed over time, iii) is based on consultative and consensus building, v) it supports regional frameworks, vi) it is aligned with and complimentary to the OIE-PVS and vi) has the flexibility to address national priorities. The mapping tool structure encompasses; i. Institutional (structures and relationships) ii. Human resources iii. Program delivery (animal health programs, surveillance, outbreak investigations) iv. Knowledge management (Epi-training, post-training outcomes, case studies, publications) v. Training needs including skills matrix and competencies Possible applications of EMT are i) evidence based policy, ii) evidence-based advocacy tool, iii) identify structural and functional capacities, iv) strategy development, v) epidemiological network, vi) benchmark epidemiology capacity, vii) skill sets and competency identification and vii) curriculum development.

17 Third SAARC Regional Epidemiology Networking Workshop/Meeting, 2-3 February The process for applying the EMT will be, i) first an EMT team of few national focal points will have to be nominated to work with the FAO consultants, ii) list of required evidences will be prepared and the evidences gathered over a period of time (1 month), iii) field missions (~2 weeks) will be carried out for in-depth interviews to identify capacity gaps and needs at different levels and also identify multi-stakeholders, iv) a 3-5 days EMT workshop to discuss initial findings by engaging wider audiences, and finally, v) preparing a report incorporating comments and feed backs. The outcomes of the EMT application in Lao PDR, Indonesia, Viet Nam, and in Nepal were discussed. The next steps include; i. Refining EMT based on initial piloting a. More objective oriented - easy to analyze b. Quantifiable - able to monitor progress c. Redefine the process - engaging wider stakeholders d. Harmonize with Laboratory Mapping Tool (LMT) ii. Training of application of EMT for FAO and country focal points iii. 2 nd phase piloting in Myanmar and Bhutan as requested by respective countries 3. Engagement of high-level decision makers in veterinary epidemiology in China - Tang Hao, ECTAD FAO China The presentation described how engagement of high-level decision makers in Veterinary Epidemiology in China was achieved. What was required and why it was necessary, how it works for the senior management and what was the impact of the exercises were elaborated. Field Epidemiology Training Program for Veterinarians (FETPV) for Executives course (FETPV-E) was primarily targeted for Director Generals (DG) and Deputy Director Generals (DDG) of the concerned Departments both at national and provincial levels. Based on a survey in 2012, China realised that although they have 45 Universities which have veterinary schools, none of them provided veterinary epidemiology course. With the increasing challenges faced as a result of disease threats to animal and public health, China also realised the severe lack of veterinary epidemiology capacity hampering effective animal diseases control and risk management. Therefore, the Ministry of Agriculture in collaboration with FAO and USAID initiated activities to train veterinarians in field epidemiology between 2008 and 2010 with the launch of the first FETPV (2 years course) cohort in The first cohort graduated in 2012 and the second cohort in During the last five years plus, 85 trainees and graduates from 27 Provinces in a batch of three cohorts were trained in FETPV.

18 20 Third SAARC Regional Epidemiology Networking Workshop/Meeting, 2-3 February 2016 Apart from extending the training to University academics and Training of Trainers (TOT) to increase the strength of veterinary epidemiologist, it was also realized that the policy or decision makers needed to be advocated on it for broader political support and funding. Therefore, in 2013, the first three days FETPV-E workshop was initiated showcasing the impact of epidemiological capacity in addressing disease prevention, detection and responses. To be effective, the workshop programme had to align with the Government strategy and priorities and it had to be short and sharp for the busy executives. Contemporary achievements produced by the trained local FETPV cohorts were used to showcase evidence of successes. Participatory approach had to be adopted for engaging everyone to participate actively. Such an approach had proved very effective. So far, three such workshops were organized at national level and provincials are asking for conducting it at provincial level for the provincial DGs. As an outcome, epi-based policy processes are applied for PPR, H7N9 and surveillance activities. Domestic resources were mobilized for epidemiology training and ownership of the programme by the provinces and Government has been evident, e.g. Shanghai province organizing their own epidemiology training including a FETPV-E workshop. More and more senior officials have recognized the importance of epidemiology and the urgency to roll out an effective capacity building program for their staff. Since the second cohort over 20% of the funding for epidemiology training now comes from the Government (MoA) and over 5% are provided by the Trainee Institutes. Other funding are supported by FAO/USAID and donors like EU, USDA, Netherlands, etc. 4. Veterinary epidemiology training programmes at National Institute of Veterinary Epidemiology and Disease Informatics (ICAR-NIVEDI) Dr Divakar Hemadri, ICAR- NIVEDI, Bangaluru National Institute of Veterinary Epidemiology and Disease Informatics (NIVEDI) of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) was started with the mandates to i) conduct research and development on disease epidemiology and informatics, ii) understanding specific disease process for rational development of diagnostics and strategic control technologies, iii) development of systems for forecasting and forewarning of economically important livestock diseases. Currently, the institute provides training in basic epidemiology, disease database ad forecasting, disease modelling and mapping, disease diagnostics, animal health economics, etc. It also publishes monthly animal disease forecast reports and bi-monthly e-bulletin on disease occurrence reports.

19 Third SAARC Regional Epidemiology Networking Workshop/Meeting, 2-3 February Epidemiological trainings programmes at ICAR-NIVEDI include; Summer course on EpiInfo software Biostatistics and Research Methodology Disease Informatics and Modelling Disease Economics Training programme on Brucellosis Basic veterinary epidemiology training (5 days) for field veterinarians working in districts livestock offices. The topics of the training include (Descriptive and analytical epidemiological methods, measures of association, rates, ratios and proportions, sampling techniques, hypothesis generation and testing, group exercises, field trip and hands on training on EpiInfo, data analysis using EpiInfo) Software specific training programmes on GIS are also provided using open source software like QGIS, DIVAGIS, SAGA, Crime Stat, WinBugs, GeoDa, and SATScan, and commercial products like ArcGIS, Erdas Imagine, and Matlab. Software specific training programmes on epidemiology and statistics using EpiInfo, Epitools, SAS, and R are also provided. The physical infrastructure includes administration building, lab building (BSL 2 plus), computer lab (20-30 participants), conference hall (40 participants), class room (20-30 participants), a canteen and hostel facility. Closing session In the closing session Santanu Bandyopadhyay thanked for the active participation of all the participants from the region. He also thanked the Nepal CVO (current SAARC CVO) for his full support to the activities implemented by RSU-SAARC and updated on the upcoming 5 th SAARC CVO meeting in April 2016 which Nepal will host with support from FAO and OIE. Continued and proactive support from SAARC Director was well appreciated who also kept RSU on its toes with his follow-ups. Peter Black was convinced that the group have together come a long way over the last two days. The active engagement from the participants was widely appreciated leading to the realization of some useful outputs. Building relationships is equally important for achieving what we want to achieve for your countries. He himself learnt a lot from listening to and from the interactions on what are the capacities in the different countries or what is happening in respective countries in the region. The capacities are variable among the countries and there is room for improvement in

20 22 Third SAARC Regional Epidemiology Networking Workshop/Meeting, 2-3 February 2016 building the capacities which is reflected in the recommendations of the workshop. What is to be recognized is that the meeting although highly technical in nature is not limited to technical skills but fits in decision making that positively affects livelihood and health of people in the region. Mr MJ Jabed spoke on the commitment the SAARC Secretariat will extend to the project activities and congratulated the successful completion of the meeting. The regional networking of epidemiology focal points, a very important activity will go a long way for the harmonization of approaches, strategies and policies in the region for strategically and effectively addressing the issues in making a safer South Asia. The recommendations from this meeting will be placed in the next SAARC CVOs meeting where further actions and recommendations are expected and which in turn will be properly reflected in the senior or SAARC Ministerial level meetings. Dr Keshab Premy, DG, DoLS, Ministry of Livestock Development thanked RSU- SAARC for initiating the establishment of the SAARC EpiNet Forum which he finds as a noble initiative. He highlighted on how the TOR developed for the forum in 2013 was endorsed during the Special SAARC CVO session in August 2015 in Bangkok. In the context of globalization and emergence and re-emergence of high impact diseases walking alone would be not effective as TADs respect no international boundaries. Only a regional approach with regional coordination can be effective and it is also high time that animal health authorities in the region work towards sharing of disease epidemiology information and harmonize the control and eradication plans. Technical session 3: Veterinary epidemiology capacity in the Member States Country oral presentations on: Veterinary epidemiology capacity in the SAARC Member States (Except for Maldives) prepared based on a template provided to all the country delegates and presented during the meeting.

21 Third SAARC Regional Epidemiology Networking Workshop/Meeting, 2-3 February Veterinary epidemiology human resource capacities in the country Table 1: Veterinary epidemiologists in the country working for the Ministry/Department concerned - type of qualification and nos. at national and sub-national levels Place of posting Sub National Country Qualification Nos national Remarks Afghanistan DVM Bangladesh MPH Undergoing MSc in Epidemiology 1 1 FETPV Fellow MSc in Epidemiology (distance learning) 5 5 Working in different area Bhutan MSc and PhD in Veterinary Epidemiology each at DoL HQ, NCAH, BAFRA PhD in Veterinary Science (with application of Veterinary 2 2 At NCAH Epidemiology) MSc in Public Health 1 1 In the Region (RLDC) MSc in Veterinary Public Health (some module in Veterinary 1 1 At NCAH Epidemiology) Master in Tropical Veterinary Science (with some module on 1 1 At BAFRA Veterinary Epidemiology)

22 24 Third SAARC Regional Epidemiology Networking Workshop/Meeting, 2-3 February 2016 Country Qualification Nos India BVSc & AH, MVSc., Ph.D 651 Place of posting National 7 Sub national Remarks District + State HQs + Central - One Deemed University -IVRI PG and PhD programmes in epi and microbiology At the national institutes there are epidemiologists working on specific diseases At state level research coordinated projects epidemiologists are working Nepal Veterinary Epidemiologist or equivalent 4 4 Central level Other related Research based degree in Veterinary studies 4 4 DLS (Epidemiology and microbiology) State Disease Diagnostic labs National & Regional Institutes (RRDL s & CDDL, NIVEDI, NIHSAD, NRC, NIV, NCDC) Pakistan DVM, PhD (any field) Livestock Wing(2), National Vet Lab(1), Animal Sc. Institute(3) and 4 Provinces Sri Lanka MVM Biosecurity, Massey University 7 7 Not yet placed as epidemiologists within the organizational structure MSc applied epidemiology do-

23 Third SAARC Regional Epidemiology Networking Workshop/Meeting, 2-3 February Table 2: Veterinary epidemiologists by short term diploma or certificates course training and working for the Department/Ministry -Numbers by Diploma or Certificate and at national and sub-national levels Country Diploma or certificate Course Duration Total Nos Place of posting Remarks National Subnational Afghanistan None Bangladesh Basic Epidemiology and Bio-statistics Course (ICDDR,B) 4 weeks 4 Epidemiological Data Analysis using statistical tools (CVASU) 2 days 2 Basic Epidemiology specially focused on outbreak investigation 2 days 4 (FAO) Bhutan Certificate 1 month 1 1 FETPV -Thailand Certificate 3 weeks Conducted by RSU India Certificate 3 weeks 3 3 Conducted by RSU Nepal Diploma/Certificate 3 months 1 1 Certificate 3 weeks Conducted by RSU Pakistan Certificate 3 weeks 3 3 Conducted by RSU Sri Lanka Certificate in applied epidemiology? Not yet placed as epidemiologists? Diploma in applied epidemiology? do- Certificate 3 weeks 3 3 Conducted by RSU

24 26 Third SAARC Regional Epidemiology Networking Workshop/Meeting, 2-3 February 2016 Table 3: Inventory of veterinary epidemiologists with Masters or higher degrees working in the country Country Name Degree and area of specialization Place of posting Main responsibilities at the current place of work Afghanistan Dr. Asadullh Samdi Master Kabul university Teaching in University Bangladesh Dr Md Mehendi Hossain MPH(Epidemiology Major) DD, Head Epidemiology Head of Epidemiology Unit Unit Bhutan Dr Abdul Hannan Master from Epidemiology (Massey University NZ) Upazila Livestock officer, Head Office Dr ATBM Osman Gani MPH(Epidemiology Major) PHD Fellow - Dr Md Azizul Islam Master from Epidemiology (Massey University NZ) Dr Md Hedayat Master from Epidemiology (Massey University NZ) Dr SK Shaheenur Islam Masters student on Vet Epidemiology at Chiang Mai University, THAILAND Completed FETPV I & II Dr. Tenzin MSc. in Veterinary Epidemiology & Animal Health Economics (FMD) & PhD in Veterinary Epidemiology (Rabies Epid) & Spatial analysis (GIS) Upazila Livestock officer, Head Office Upazila Livestock officer works at periphery level Upazila Livestock officer, Working at EPI UNIT Disease Prevention and Control Unit, National Centre for Animal Health, Department of Livestock, Thimphu - Field Veterinarian Data Compilation, Analysis, Interpretation Outbreak Investigation etc Coordinate Disease Prevention & Control Program, Management of animal disease information system, Coordinate formulation of disease control guidelines, Coordinate One Health activities in the country (zoonotic disease surveillance & research in collaboration with Public Health), Conduct animal health researches, Provide training to animal and public officials in the country

25 Third SAARC Regional Epidemiology Networking Workshop/Meeting, 2-3 February Country Name Degree and area of specialization Place of posting Main responsibilities at the current place of work Dr. Karma Rinzin Dr. Sithar Dorjee MVSc in Vety Epidemiology (Thesis in Free-roaming cats & dogs) & PhD in Vet Epidemiology (Free-roaming dog population control/dog population dynamic MVSc in Veterinary Epidemiology (Thesis in Leptospirosis) & PhD in Veterinary Epidemiology (Infectious Disease modeling) India No inventory listed Nepal 8 (no inventory) Epidemiology or equivalent degree Animal Health Division, Department of Livestock, Thimphu Regional One Health Master Course Coordinator (Bhutan, Bangladesh, Nepal & Afghanistan) Coordinate Animal Health Program in the country as Chief Veterinary Officer Works under BAFRA: Implementation of Veterinary biosecurity and veterinary public health in the country (Currently on deputation as One Health Project Coordinator for South Asia (Master Course training -Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal) Pakistan No inventory listed Sri Lanka No inventory listed

26 28 Third SAARC Regional Epidemiology Networking Workshop/Meeting, 2-3 February 2016 Table 4: Inventory of veterinary epidemiologists (attended some modules in Veterinary Epidemiology) Country Name Afghanistan No inventory listed Bangladesh No inventory listed Bhutan Dr. Kinzang Dukpa Dr. Vijay Raika Dr. Rinzin Pem Dr. Jambay Dorjee Dr. N Dahal Dr. Chador Wangdi India No inventory listed Nepal No inventory listed Pakistan No inventory listed Sri Lanka No inventory listed Degree and area of specialization or expertise PhD (Specialized in Epidemiology of FMD) PhD (Specialized in Swine Diseases Epidemiology) Master in Vet Public Health MVSc in Veterinary Public Health MVSc in Veterinary Public Health MSc in Veterinary Tropical Science Place of posting Program Director, National Centre for Animal Health, Department of Livestock, Thimphu Biological Production Unit, National Centre for Animal Health, Department of Livestock, Thimphu Regional Livestock Development Centre, West Central Bhutan, Wangdue Drugs, Vaccine & Equipment Unit, National Centre for Animal Health, Department of Livestock, Thimphu Main responsibilities at the current place of work Coordinate Animal Health Program in the country as the head of the NCAH Centre Coordinate Vaccine production, procurement, and Distribution to the field for disease prevention and control program Conduct animal health research Coordinate Animal Health activities in the west central region including disease outbreak investigation and response Coordinate veterinary drugs, vaccine & equipment procurement and Distribution to the field for disease prevention and control program Principal Vet Officer, DoL HQ Policy and monitoring of vet services Bhutan Agriculture & Food Regulatory Authority, Thimphu Implementation of Veterinary biosecurity and veterinary public health in the country

27 Third SAARC Regional Epidemiology Networking Workshop/Meeting, 2-3 February Institutional capacities Table 5: Institutions which offers formal veterinary epidemiology training Country Name (s) and location (s) with website Degree offered by course work or research Afghanistan None Bangladesh ICDDR, B Basic epidemiology and biostatistics course Open to national only or Region Any collaboration external University Funding source From the region also CDC USA IEDCR FETP, B National Level DU CDC,USA CVASU and SAU Masters in Epidemiology National level RVC, UK University Fund Bhutan None India IVRI PG and PhD programme MSc in Vety epidemiology and microbiology National Institute of Veterinary Epidemiology and Disease Informatics(NIVEDI), Bengaluru Regional Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (RDDL), Nepal None Pakistan Univ of Veterinary & Animal Sciences, Lahore, Punjab Sri Lanka Post Graduate Institute of science, Peradeniya Sri lanka appepi.php Short courses GIS & disease modeling, EpiInfo, Biostatistics, Basic vet epi, OB investigation, surveillance, risk assessment Basic vet epi, OB investigation, surveillance, risk assessment Masters in Epidemiology & Public Health MSc in Applied Epidemiology Course work and research Some are open National CDC, New Delhi National USDA Public Sector Uni, open to nationals Open to international participants also No No

28 30 Third SAARC Regional Epidemiology Networking Workshop/Meeting, 2-3 February 2016 Table 6: Institutions offering veterinary epidemiology courses as a component of their basic degree (e.g. x credit hours of veterinary epidemiology for BVSc degree) Country Name (s) & location (s) with website Afghanistan None Degree offered Credit hours Any collaboration with external Univ/ Institution Funding source Bangladesh None? Bhutan None India 26 Veterinary colleges in 12 Vet Universities and 20 colleges in 17 Agriculture Universities BVSc & AH VPE-311 = 2+1 (Vety Epid & zoonosis) Public sector Nepal AFU BVSc & AH 2+1 No. Public Sector TU BVSc & AH 1+1 No. Public Sector HICAST (PU) and NPI (PU) BVSc & AH 1+1 No. Private Pakistan i. University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Punjab, ii. University of Arid Agriculture, Rawalpindi, iii. College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences Jhang, Punjab iv. KPK Agriculture University, Peshawar v. Gomal University, Dera Ismail Khan, KPK vi. Agriculture University, Tandojam, Sindh vii. Lasbela University of Agriculture, Water & Marine Sciences, Balochistan Sri Lanka Faculty of Veterinary Medicine & Animal Science, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka DVM 3 credits in Epidemiology and Public Health BVSc Statistics - 2 credits (15*2 hrs) Epidemiology - 2 credits (15*2 hrs) Massey University, New Zealand, OIE VEE Training program Public Sector Universities Government funds

29 Third SAARC Regional Epidemiology Networking Workshop/Meeting, 2-3 February Table 7: Tertiary institutions or agencies offering training in veterinary epidemiology Country Name (s) & location (s) with website Afghanistan None Bangladesh None? Bhutan College of Natural Resources (CNR) India - CDC, FAO, USDA Nepal None? Pakistan None? Sri Lanka None? Type of courses/ course topics offered Livestock production & Animal Health (few topics on vety epidemiology), Extension Duration In-service or fresh 2 years Fresh Eligibility criteria (entry qualification) Class 12 passed (Science stream) Public or private sector undertaking? Funding source Public RGOB

30 32 Third SAARC Regional Epidemiology Networking Workshop/Meeting, 2-3 February Short course training organized by the Ministry/Department Table 8: In-service training offered (adhoc or regular) by the concerned Ministry/ Department in veterinary epidemiology related topics (surveillance, outbreak investigation, information/database system, risk assessment, GIS, etc) Country Name of the training offered Course content Target group Afghanistan Epi-Info Introduction Central Epi Dept GIS Introduction Central Epi Dept Bangladesh Basic Epidemiology and Bio-statistics Bhutan Epidemiological Data Analysis using statistical tools Basic Epidemiology specially focused on outbreak investigation Training on QGIS & GPS Data collection & management - QGIS, GPS, Google Earth. Analyze and display spatial data VOs & Livestock personnel (60) Duration (theory: practice) Nos. conducted (last 2 yrs) Resource person/ faculty Course manual availability Adhoc or regular 5 days 2 AHDP No Adhoc EU 5 days 2 AHDP No Adhoc EU 4 Weeks ICDDR,B Regular? 2 days CVASU Regular? 2 Days FAO Regular? 4 days (20%: 80%) 1 Fund source Dr. Tenzin, NCAH Yes adhoc RGoB

31 Third SAARC Regional Epidemiology Networking Workshop/Meeting, 2-3 February Country Name of the training offered Training on GIS and Spatial Data Analysis Training on STATA and Research Methodology Course content Target group Data collection & management - QGIS, GPS, Google Earth, GeoDA, SaTScan. Basic Epi using Ranema Use of STATA software All VOs in the country (30) VOs, OH MSc students (20) Duration (theory: practice) 7 days (20%: 80%) 3 days (20%: 80%) 1 Nos. conducted (last 2 yrs) 1 Resource person/ faculty Dr. Tenzin, NCAH Course manual availability Adhoc or regular Yes adhoc Fund source RGoB (One Health Project) Prof Ian Dahoo, Canada Yes adhoc RGOB Training on nationwide freeroaming dog population survey Free-roaming dog survey and estimate the population size & vaccination coverage Livestock officials 3 days (20%: 80%) 1 Mr. Lex Hiley, Drs Karma Rinzin & Amit Chaudhary India Not specified NIVEDI Not specified RDDLs Nepal Risk analysis Risk analysis Vet Officer Field vet epi Field vet epi Vet Officer 2 weeks 2 DLS officers 1 week 2 DLS officers / FAO No adhoc RGOB- HIS yes Regular Govt yes Regular Govt

32 34 Third SAARC Regional Epidemiology Networking Workshop/Meeting, 2-3 February 2016 Country Name of the training offered Pakistan Nil? Sri Lanka Surveillance and Outbreak investigation Course content Target group Duration (theory: practice) Nos. conducted (last 2 yrs) Resource person/ faculty Field vet epi Field vet epi Vet Tech 1 week 10 DLS officers GIS GIS Vet Officers 2 weeks 4 DLS officers / FAO Biosecurity training Biosecurity training Vet Tech 3 days DLS officers Surveillance and Outbreak investigation Vety Surgeons 1 day 9 AP&H Dept and Faculty of Vety Medicine Course manual availability Adhoc or regular Fund source yes Regular Govt yes Regular Govt yes Regular Govt No Adhoc Govt

33 Third SAARC Regional Epidemiology Networking Workshop/Meeting, 2-3 February Animal Health information/database system Table 9: National Animal Health Information/Database System implemented in the country Country Name of the system employed Afghanistan Bangladesh Bhutan EpiInfo Livestock Disease Information System (LDIS) Location Type of data stored Central Epidemiology Department (CED) Not functional any more TADInfo database - Web based system NCAH, 4 RLDLs, 4 SVLs, 20 DVHs Animal disease data Clinical reports Notifiable disease outbreaks/incidences and unusual events occurrences Data available 2010 and from 2013 onwards 5 year data available in Excel Since 2010 Query facilities available Space-timespecies level data query & analysis available to all users India Nepal National Animal Disease Reporting System (NADRS) Central Disease Reporting & Monitoring Unit (CDRMU) in the DADF MS Access and MS Excel VEC, Kathmandu Notifiable diseases scheduled in The Prevention & Control of Infectious & Contagious Diseases Animals Act 2009 Priority disease data compiled from monthly reports All clinical cases attended from Taluka and district level Data in MS Excel is available since 20 years Since 2012 but partially (phase wise expansion) Query facility at VEC level only Reports generated and feedback mechanism Descriptive analyses - Fortnightly e-bulletin - Six-monthly & annual animal health reports - Annual notifiable disease status report Six monthly and yearly publications as Bulletin

34 36 Third SAARC Regional Epidemiology Networking Workshop/Meeting, 2-3 February 2016 Country Name of the system employed Pakistan Sri Lanka - No system available - Punjab Province has Virtual Governance System 9211 TADinfo Stand alone (But out of operation since 2014) Location Type of data stored Data available DAPH Schedule diseases Query facilities available Reports generated and feedback mechanism - Qrtly Epid Newsletter - Bi-annual animal health review - Annual animal health status Report 5. Gaps and support required Table 10: Gaps in epidemiology capacity and type of technical support countries expect from development partners to help countries build the capacity. Country Gaps in Epidemiology capacity Type of technical support required Afghanistan Bangladesh Only few veterinarians with general epidemiology training exist in the country - Need special training course on epidemiology - Short specific training courses such as Risk Analysis/assessment - Field vets and sub technical staffs may be trained on outbreak investigation, online disease reporting - FETPV course should be introduced in Bangladesh in two forms: short FETPV and long FETPV (Masters) - International support is needed at initial phase - Government vets may be supported to attend the courses

35 Third SAARC Regional Epidemiology Networking Workshop/Meeting, 2-3 February Country Gaps in Epidemiology capacity Type of technical support required Bhutan - No reliable online animal health database (If FAO withdraws support for TADinfo) - Limited knowledge on disease modelling - Limited knowledge on veterinary epidemiology among Vets/paravets in the field - Require fund support to establish reliable online database as well as to provide training to the concerned officials - Require training/fund to attend training - Require fund support to conduct in-country training on Field Epidemiology or ex-country FETPV India - No dedicated teams to determine the factors influencing the sustained / frequent Outbreaks of diseases - Continued trainings on Basic epidemiology is necessary. - Within the country core groups/ research teams must be established for the systematic and detailed epidemiological studies to determine the underlying causes or factors associated/ attributed for the ongoing outbreaks (AI, FMD) - Interface and Linking of other Epidemiology networks developed in country needed: NADRS, NADRES-NIVEDI, Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) of MoHFW Nepal - Well trained competent epidemiologist are limited - No clear mandate, responsibilities & limited resources at VEC and lack of epidemiology units at regional and district levels - Interaction among related institutions to discuss & share epidemiological information (national to district level) missing - Coordinated/joint outbreak investigations limited to AI only - Active surveillance remains limited to AI - Para-veterinarians are not trained to optimal technical capacity

36 38 Third SAARC Regional Epidemiology Networking Workshop/Meeting, 2-3 February 2016 Country Gaps in Epidemiology capacity Type of technical support required Pakistan - Human resources & fund allocation in Epidemiological capacity building weak - Widening communication gap between Federal & Provincial epidemiological units due to devolution of livestock services under 18 Amendment of Constitution - Poor linkages between field & lab epidemiology units - Poor linkages between human & animal health sectors - Political support lacking on importance of epidemiology and animal health - The major objective is to fill in the epidemiological gaps in country, - Establish specific epidemiological database system and - Develop linkages with health and regional epidemiological units Sri Lanka - Non availability of a standard software programme to analyze, evaluate animal health data. ( TAD info is not functioning) - Existing animal health disease reporting system to be strengthened by including other Departments like public health, wild life, etc. into one network - More awareness programs needed on disease reporting system - Database facilities/software required at DAPH and District levels

37 Third SAARC Regional Epidemiology Networking Workshop/Meeting, 2-3 February Technical session 3a: Poster presentations on sharing of Success Stories from the region Countries were requested to show case, in poster presentations, any success stories from their respective countries related to epidemiology or animal health intervention and policies. A gallery walk on the poster presentations was organized for participants to provide their comments. Evaluation check sheet was provided to each participant and asked for their comments and observations especially in terms of identifying strengths and weaknesses. Based on the i) content, ii) design and layout, and iii) graphics, the participants were asked to evaluate and identify the best poster from among the seven posters. Objectives of the poster presentations To provide an opportunity for each country to showcase a successful initiative or good practice being implemented in the respective country and to share it with other member countries. To strengthen the regional capacities and collaboration in responding to TADs and EIDs in the region by learning from each other and improve one s own approaches and practices. The following countries presented the following posters; i. Formulation and application of the Sanitary Mandate Contractual Scheme: a tool for epidemiological surveillance in Afghanistan ii. Development of One Health Policies and Practices in Bangladesh: Lessons Learned iii. Survey of free roaming dogs, rabies control and dog population management using Capture- Recapture-Vaccinate-Release (CNVR) technique in Bhutan iv. National Animal Disease Reporting System (NADRS), an information system implementation by Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries (DAHDF), India v. Findings of the Epidemiology Mapping Tool (EMT) and its application in Nepal vi. Strategy for National Control Program for Progressive Control of Foot & Mouth Disease in Pakistan vii. Animal health information system in Sri Lanka: System used and application of the system A summary of the assessments of the poster by the participants are summarised in table 11 below. The posters are in annex 3.

38 40 Third SAARC Regional Epidemiology Networking Workshop/Meeting, 2-3 February 2016 Table 11: Collective observation of the participants on the posters presented by Member States Country poster Formulation and application of the Sanitary Mandate Contractual Scheme: a tool for epidemiological surveillance in Afghanistan Development of One Health Policies and Practices in Bangladesh: Lessons Learned Survey of free roaming dogs, rabies control and dog population management using Capture- Recapture-Vaccinate- Release (CNVR) technique in Bhutan National Animal Disease Reporting System (NADRS), an information system implemented by Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries (DAHDF), India Findings of the Epidemiology needs assessment using Epidemiology Mapping Tool (EMT) and its application in Nepal Strategy for National Control Program for Progressive Control of Foot & Mouth Disease in Pakistan Animal health information system in Sri Lanka: System used and application of the system Observation from the participants Sanitary Mandate Contractual Scheme (SMCS), a good tool for epidemiological surveillance is implemented despite operational difficulties The initiative gained the highest level of collaboration This is a good approach established for PPR surveillance. The tool could have been reviewed/piloted before the implementation However, efforts are made to develop epidemiological networks and capacities Sustainability of the system is questionable beyond the project period, especially funding Disease information coming to the technical working group is not clear This does not allow 100% reporting This system requires fee payment- so again sustainability? Good approach and probably the first country in South Asia to initiate it Operationalization of one OH approach for prevention and control of zoonosis and EIDs Multi-sectoral approach Office Secretariat is not yet established Action plans are not validated Impact of OH approach is not quantified and presented Shown effective results in controlling Rabies and dog population This technique may not be cost effective if it is to be implemented on larger scale This study is phenomenal, amazing sample size and application of other tools and methods such as Mark/recapture Difficulty in coordination being multi-disciplinary team The control was only in animal but human rabies cases came down(no case form 2012 to 2015 excpet one in 2013) Good advantage of having small number of animals in the small country Cross border issues in disease prevention and control is highlighted Content/graphics/ layout and design - perfect Huge and effective information collection from >7000 nodes all over the country, however some nodes were not functional, need to provide the facility to all the nodes User friendly software for data entry and validation The information system is not fully functional Need to interface with the surveillance systems Epidemiology Mapping Tool (EMT) is effective to assess the needs and gaps in epi capacity All the results are not presented Good tool to address the two-way linking Intensive planning and dedication required A complete comprehensive review of FMD PCP status and achievement Well reviewed plan A public sector development programme has been initiated from the Government PCP-FMD well established and country has moved to stage 2 Legal framework and budgetary allocations have improved Sustainability and funding in the long term can be a problem Managing epidemiological data may be a difficulty? Country is free of HPAI and information system is limited to HPAI Difficulty in TADinfo database system operation since 2014 Emergency preparedness not all level established Tools and technology not well presented

39 Third SAARC Regional Epidemiology Networking Workshop/Meeting, 2-3 February Technical session 4: Group work for developing frameworks and road maps 1. Group work 1: SAARC EpiNet forum meetings and sustainability (Framework & Roadmap) i. TOR of SAARC EpiNet forum developed during 2 nd EpiNet meeting in 2013 a. Vision To improve the overall situation of animal health in the SAARC Region to contribute towards food security, food safety, poverty alleviation and prevention of human health hazards a. Goals A holistic and inter-sectoral mechanism is established in South Asia Region in preparedness to mitigate the risk and impact of Highly Pathogenic animal diseases and associated risks to humans. The strategic goals of the Network are; Build interpersonal linkages, partnerships, coordination and collaboration amongst the Member States, development partners and stakeholders in addressing prevention and control of priority HPEDs and TADs in the region more effectively and efficiently and in compliance with international standards To assist develop regionally-coherent structures and systems to support functions of veterinary services in the Members States To strengthen human resource capacity in veterinary epidemiology through sharing of expertise and resources from within the network or by sourcing from outside a. Scope The SAARC EpiNet aims to promote efficient networking of veterinary epidemiologists and institutions within the SAARC MSs to support national veterinary services in early detection and rapid response and effectively and efficiently control regional priority animal diseases. a. Objectives The overall objectives of the Network (SAARC EpiNet) is the improvement of prevention and control against the major TADs and zoonoses through the strengthening of the national and regional resources and capacities, the harmonization and coordination of surveillance and control activities.

40 42 Third SAARC Regional Epidemiology Networking Workshop/Meeting, 2-3 February 2016 From technical point of view the objectives are; Harmonize disease control activities at both the national and regional level. Strengthen interpersonal and institutional relationships in the region to promote trust for open sharing of professional experiences and information in response to the needs of the member countries. Specific objectives To facilitate exchange of timely and reliable information on a regular basis for timely warning and rapid responses to be put in place. To harness innovation in science and technology in order to improve South Asia s capacity to detect, identify and monitor priority HPEDs and TADs in the region and better manage the risk posed by them To create synergies to strengthen regional expertise with specific assistance in epidemiology for member countries To promote awareness and understanding of veterinary epidemiology to provide policy support and to ensure science based decision making Strengthen human resource capacity based on needs assessment. Deliverables Closer inter-personal relationship between the technical persons from the region working towards the common goal is established Epidemiological information including disease outbreak information shared amongst the member countries and if agreed regionally and globally as well Disease intelligence reports are generated and evidence/science based decisions are provided for the policy makers and funding agencies alike Disease prevention and control plans meeting international standards are prepared and implementation between the MSs wherever appropriate are harmonized Stronger and longer term political commitment and ownership of activities to ensure sustainability of the mechanism from MSs assured Figure 1: Structure, roles & responsibilities of the stakeholders of the Forum

41 Third SAARC Regional Epidemiology Networking Workshop/Meeting, 2-3 February Figure 2: Activities to be implemented by the key stakeholders of the Forum Figure 3: SAARC EpiNet Forum and Information Flow framework

42 44 Third SAARC Regional Epidemiology Networking Workshop/Meeting, 2-3 February 2016 ii. SAARC EpiNet Forum framework and roadmap - 3 Feb 2016 a. The purpose and expected benefits of the forum By establishing the regional Epidemiology Network, it can facilitate sharing of i) disease outbreaks on real time basis and also other disease related information, ii) sharing of human resources expertise and resources, and iii) building national and regional capacities in disease prevention and control. The forum through regular communication and interaction can build mutual trust amongst the Member states. Through the collaborative efforts the Members States are thereby expected to benefit in; i) harmonization of standard operating procedures (SoPs) and guidelines in disease surveillance (including joint cross border surveillance) and containment and control of TADs and EIDs; ii) learn from each other on the success stories and epidemiological tools adopted by the other member country(ies); and iii) in strengthening of the epidemiology capacities in MSs including national disease information systems. b. Agenda or topics to be discussed during the forum meets Some possible agenda topics are listed below but not to be considered as exhaustive or as prescriptive. The same can be modified during the Forum meetings. Promoting epidemiology capacity building in the member countries and sustainability of the network. What and how information exchange will be taking place amongst the countries and updates on the status of the information exchanges What and how to share expertise available in some countries which could be replicated in others, Harmonization or aligning of strategies for disease control support to MSs to develop and implement the disease control strategies including risk assessment, surveillance, vaccination strategies and other technical aspects Develop advocacy tools for policy makers for epidemiology capacity building and regional cooperation and collaboration needed to address TADs/EIDs/Zoonoses Review regional and national strategies and road maps for disease control To review the progress of the agreed collaborative activities and roadmap More topics can be added or deleted as the forum meets regularly b. c. Modality of operation Forum members The forum members could be at two levels at the regional level and also at the national levels. For the regional level, the national veterinary epidemiology focal

43 Third SAARC Regional Epidemiology Networking Workshop/Meeting, 2-3 February points supported by a senior veterinary epidemiologist/animal health professional or specialist will represent each Member State. However, at the national level depending on the country the composition or the number of the members could vary. Regional level (SAARC EpiNet) forum members Head of the national veterinary epidemiology unit/centre (National Epidemiology focal points) Senior veterinary epidemiologist/animal health professional or specialist (as the case may be) The Epidemiology focal point from the MSs will be assisted by another senior epidemiologist/animal health professional from the respective country. The second person will represent the focal point in all forum meetings and activities both at regional or country level in the absence of the focal point. This is to maintain the continuity should the national focal point be not available at times. National EpiNet forum members For the national level forum the members will include the above two officials and other member could be all or some of the below listed individuals depending on the country. The MSs will have the freedom for identifying the national EpiNet forum members. The national Epidemiology focal points to take the lead in identifying the members and submitting to appropriate authority for necessary approval and operationalization of the forum activities. Head of national veterinary epidemiology unit/centre (National Epidemiology focal points) Sr. Veterinary epidemiologist/animal health professional or specialist Head of the National & Regional veterinary laboratories Head of the Animal Health Division or equivalent Wildlife veterinarian(s) Head/representative of national Public Health Laboratory/Public Health Directorate/Division or equivalent Department/Section head or Epidemiologist from Veterinary Universities/ Institutes Others, including partners and observers as may be appropriate Hosting modality and sustainability of the forum The forum is to be hosted by the MSs on voluntary but rotational basis (to be decided by the Member States). The forum could meet annually and preferably before the annual CVO meeting so that the recommendations and follow ups can be discussed during the CVO meeting for their agreement and action. The CVO meeting in April 2016 will decide on who will volunteer to host the first forum meeting. The hosting country will the Chair of the forum.

44 46 Third SAARC Regional Epidemiology Networking Workshop/Meeting, 2-3 February 2016 The recommendations, progress and outputs are to be reported to the CVOs or tabled during the following CVOs meetings. As for the sustainability of the forum the RSU-SAARC/FAO should support the conduct of the forum meeting including fund and technical facilitation for the time being. However, such a mechanism has to be absorbed under the SAARC mechanism in the future and SAARC Secretariat should support with the fund component. Alternately, like in CVOs meetings, the country participants to be supported by respective Governments and forum meeting expenditure to me borne by the hosting country. Frequency of communications amongst focal points and forum meeting The focal points can exchange correspondence(s) based on needs (e.g. during TADs/EIDs outbreaks in a Member State either for providing information or seeking information as the case may be). Teleconferences can also be arranged as and when an emergency situation demanded and quarterly as a routine activity on a chosen subject area. The host country to coordinate the teleconferences. RSU-SAARC could coordinate/ facilitate the teleconference till the host country is able to coordinate the same. Annual face to face SAARC EpiNet Forum meeting among the Epidemiology focal points and epidemiologists to be organized regularly, preferably back to back with the annual CVO meetings. However, at the national level each Member State can decide as to the mode and frequency of the communications required. d. Proposed road map with timeline for the operationalization of the forum No. Activity Time line 1 1 RSU/SAARC Secretariat submits the SAARC EpiNet TOR and the forum framework with tentative roadmap amalgamated into one document along with a list of action points for the CVO to the CVOs for their agreement and for subsequent tabling at the next CVO meeting By mid of March 2016 (Status: completed) 2 RSU/SAARC Secretariat to write to CVOs for official nomination of National focal points and one each Sr veterinary epidemiologist or Sr animal health professional/specialist for the SAARC EpiNet Forum 3 Nomination of official National Epidemiologyfocal points and Sr veterinary epidemiologist or Sr animal health professional/specialist by the concerned Head of the Departments/CVOs (DGs/AHCs) and sharing with RSU/SAARC Secretariat. 4 RSU/SAARC Secretariat to share the contact details of the National Epidemiology focal points with all other Member States By mid of March 2016 (Status: completed) By end of March 2016 (Status: as of June end 2016 six countries have submitted except India and Pakistan) Feb 29, 2016 or March end 2016

45 Third SAARC Regional Epidemiology Networking Workshop/Meeting, 2-3 February No. Activity Time line 1 5 National EpidemiologyFocal points identify forum members for the national level EpiNet forum, get endorsement from respective within 01 March 2016 or April end 2016 CVOs/authority and share with RSU/SAARC Secretariat 6 Planning for the SAARC EpiNet forum meeting and conduct of the first forum meeting July/August/ September First country level Epidemiology networking forum meeting August/September Organizing first teleconference meeting among the national focal points of Member States April 2016? September Organizing first face to face SAARC EpiNet forum meeting January/February 2017 Appropriate and feasible timeline may be re-worked between the national epi focal points and their respective CVOs and then proposed during the SAARC CVO meeting in April 2016 for finalization * Dates in red are tentative dates inserted by RSU & dates in black by the country delegates during the group work 2. Group work 2: SAARC Animal Disease Information System (SADIS) platform a) Background Despite the fact that there are several global diseases information systems and regional information systems available for animal disease reporting, there is no animal and zoonotic disease information sharing platform for the SAARC region. Considering the importance of sharing real time disease outbreak information on foot and mouth disease, PPR and avian influenza and other priority regional diseases like rabies, nipah, anthrax, Newcastle disease and infectious bursal disease on event basis, and other disease related information, the second Epinet meeting held in Paro, Bhutan in August 2013 proposed to have a regional disease information system and information sharing platform for the SAARC region. This proposal was approved by the SAARC CVOs meeting held in August 2015 in Bangkok. Therefore, a proposal for action on SAARC Animal Disease Information System (SADIS) Platform was presented by RSU during the two day SAARC-EpiNet meeting held in Kathmandu from 2-3 February The proposal contained the database structure, information flow, access to information and mechanism for data and information sharing from MSs to the SADIS platform. The below listed five items on the disease information sharing mechanism was developed during the second SAARC EpiNet meeting in 2013.

46 48 Third SAARC Regional Epidemiology Networking Workshop/Meeting, 2-3 February 2016 b) The Objective of the disease information system To enhance early warning system To have a better understanding on disease situation for effective preparedness and control measures c) The scope of the disease information system To share real time disease information and outbreak investigation reports. To share legislation, SOPs and guidelines related to animal health. To share disease surveillance plans and strategies To share published papers (newspapers, bulletins, handbooks, posters) To share resources (expertise) d) Disease to be reported real time and weekly follow up once reported Avian Influenza Foot and Mouth Disease Peste des petits ruminantes (PPR) Any significant Emerging Infectious Diseases (EIDs) including zoonoses e) Disease to be reported bi-annually or annually? - Brucellosis - Classical Swine Fever - Rabies - New Castle Disease - Infectious Bursal Disease (Gumboro) - Nipah f) List of minimum variables to be included in the information format while reporting disease outbreaks/occurrences No. Item/variable 1 Name of the disease: 2 Species affected: 3 Location with geo-coordinates: 4 Population at-risk: no of cases: deaths: 5 Start date of the event: 6 End date (if known): 7 Probable source of outbreak: 8 Clinical signs: 9 Laboratory tests performed and name of Laboratory where the test(s) were performed: 10 Control measures implemented: g) Outputs of the discussions on SADIS at 3rd SAARC EpiNet Meeting in February 2016 The SADIS proposal was further reviewed in the meeting and participants provided valuable feedback to the proposed system. Participants were of the view that SADIS

47 Third SAARC Regional Epidemiology Networking Workshop/Meeting, 2-3 February will benefit MSs and agreed to share disease information as identified during the second EpiNet meeting, through Epidemiology focal points after obtaining approval from relevant authorities. Secure access to restricted information and public access for other information was suggested. Apart from disease outbreak data it was suggested that standard operating procedures (SOPs) for disease control and prevention, legislative acts, action plans for disease control and containment, livestock population data, important scientific publications need to be shared on the platform. Moreover, it was suggested that RSU should analyse regional data and feedback to the MSs through the platform and also provide unusual disease events occurring in neighbouring countries and newly emerging disease situation in the world on real time basis as it is captured. h) Mechanisms of flow of different data/information Figure 4: Proposed structure of the SAARC Animal Disease Information System (SADIS) Platform i) Key points suggested by participants; SAARC Disease Information System (SADIS)/Platform benefits Providing real time disease situation/status in the MSs on the reportable diseases agreed Providing information about the location, epidemiological data and also control measures undertaken by the MSs if any. Alert the member countries when there are outbreaks and which would enable them formulating proper contingency and prevention interventions/plans. Collaborate among the countries to share expertise and inputs/resources. Following information related to animal health/veterinary services to be

48 50 Third SAARC Regional Epidemiology Networking Workshop/Meeting, 2-3 February 2016 shared on the platform Disease outbreak information which can include type of disease, its nature, type/ strain of pathogen, the locality Control measures in place if any can be shared among the MSs depending on the willingness of the affected states to share any such information Information related to other animal health issues National plans for control and containment of diseases Unusual findings from surveillance exercises conducted if any Information updates on diagnostics capacity and vaccine availability Research publications/reports relevant to animal health and epidemiological works Other information/data countries expect from RSU to be shared on the platform are; SOPs for disease prevention and control measures Global status of the disease in question Who should have access to the platform? Focal persons/authorized person via login ID and Password Data may be categorized for public and restricted only to the epidemiology focal points. What other data/ information to be made available on the respective national Website links Scientific publications Events/ news Main animal disease information sources of Member States Pakistan: India: Bangladesh: Sri Lanka: Bhutan: Nepal: and j) The next steps Based on these above suggestions SADIS will be developed and information maintained on the platform at RSU-SAARC. After creation of the information sharing platform it will be communicated to the Epifocal points for further actions. However, nomination of national epidemiology focal points and agreement to share animal disease outbreak data/information will have to precede the development of the system.

49 Third SAARC Regional Epidemiology Networking Workshop/Meeting, 2-3 February Annex1: Agenda Day 1: 2 February (Tuesday) Time Theme Speaker/facilitator 8:15 8:45 Registration of Participants Wang Jie, Program Officer, FAO and FAO operation team 8:45-9:15 Inaugural session MC Pasang Tshering Welcome address Santanu Bandyopadhyay, RSU Coordinator Regional Capacity Development for Regional Cooperation on Food Security through Control of Trans-boundary Animal Diseases in South Asia Project : Project objective, mandates, expected outputs Santanu Bandyopadhyay, RSU Coordinator and deliverables; Project Inception meeting and Special SAARC CVO meeting outcomes Opening remarks Peter Black, Dy. Regional Manager, ECTAD FAO-RAP Opening remarks Director, DARD, SAARC Opening remarks Mr Govinda P Gewali, ADB, Nepal Inaugural speech by Chief guest and opening of the workshop Dr VK Jha, DDG, DoLS MoLD, Nepal 9:15 10:00 Photo Session and tea/coffee break Technical session 1: The situational updates and proposals Santanu Bandyopadhyay, RSU-SAARC 10:00-10:10 Background and objective of the meeting & agenda adoption Pasang Tshering, RSU-SAARC, FAO 10:10-10:40 SAARC EpiNet forum and Veterinary epidemiology capacity building initiatives Pasang Tshering, RSU-SAARC, FAO undertaken by RSU-SAARC 10:40-10:55 Regional Meeting to support and sustain Veterinary Epidemiology Capacity (Epidemiology Advocacy meeting) in the K. Wongsathapornchai, ECTAD, FAO RAP region outcomes and lessons learned 10:55-11:25 Disease risk modelling and predictive risk mapping to enhance surveillance and preparedness: Case study from Nepal from Ravi Dissanayake, RSU-SAARC, FAO open source data (HPAI) 11:25-11:35 Discussion Technical session 2: Veterinary epidemiology capacity in the Member States Existing veterinary epidemiological capacity 11:35-12:00 and gaps Existing veterinary epidemiological capacity 12:00-12:25 and gaps Existing veterinary epidemiological capacity 12:25-12:50 and gaps Peter Black, ECTAD, FAO RAP Afghanistan Bangladesh Bhutan

50 52 Third SAARC Regional Epidemiology Networking Workshop/Meeting, 2-3 February :50-13:50 Lunch break 13:50-14:15 Existing veterinary epidemiological capacity and gaps India 14:15-14:40 Existing veterinary epidemiological capacity and gaps Nepal 14:40-15:05 Existing veterinary epidemiological capacity and gaps Pakistan 15:05-15:25 Existing veterinary epidemiological capacity and gaps Sri Lanka 15:25-15:50 Discussion 15:50-16:30 Tea break and Gallery walk Gallery walk on Poster presentations on sharing of the success stories from the region 1. Formulation and application of the Sanitary Mandate Contractual Scheme: a tool for epidemiological surveillance in Afghanistan 2. Development of One Health Policies and Practices in Bangladesh: Lessons Learned 3. Survey of free roaming dogs, rabies control and dog population management using Capture- Recapture-Vaccinate- Release (CNVR) technique in Bhutan 4. NDRS information system implementation by Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries (DAHDF) 5. Findings of the Epidemiology needs Khadak Singh Bisht, RSU-SAARC, FAO assessment using Epidemiology Management Tool (EMT) and its application in Nepal 6. Strategy for National Control Program for Progressive Control of Foot & Mouth Disease in Pakistan 7. Animal health information system in Sri Lanka: System used and application of the system (Each country to identify one STRENGTH and one WEAKNESS findings on each of the others posters and put it on a meta card for display on the flannel boards and panel discussion later) 16:30-17:00 Plenary session on poster presentation Khadak Singh Bisht 18:00 Dinner (Hosted by SAARC Secretariat)

51 Third SAARC Regional Epidemiology Networking Workshop/Meeting, 2-3 February Day 2: 3 February 2016 (Wednesday) Technical session 3: Epidemiological tools and practices Pasang Tshering, RSU-SAARC 8:45-9:00 Recap of day one Pasang Tshering 9:00-09:20 How epidemiology can contribute to the better management of changing disease Peter Black, ECTAD, FAO RAP landscapes 09:20-09:40 Epidemiology capacity needs assessment using Epidemiology Mapping Tool (EMT) K. Wongsathapornchai, ECTAD, FAO RAP 9:40-10:00 Epidemiology for the managers FETPV-E: An advocacy tool for the executives and decision makers Tang Hao, ECTAD FAO China Veterinary epidemiology training programmes 10:00-10:20 at National Institute of Veterinary Epidemiology Dr Divekar Hemadri, ICAR-NIVEDI and Disease Informatics (NIVEDI) 10:20-10:45 Discussion 10:45-11:15 Tea/Coffee Break Technical session 4: Group work for developing road maps 11:15-12:30 Group workout 1: SAARC EpiNet focal points meetings and sustainability Pasang Tshering, RSU-SAARC, FAO 12:30-12:45 Plenary session: Group finding presentations 12:45-13:45 Lunch 13:45-14:45 Group workout 2: SAARC Animal Disease Information System (SDIS) and National Ravi Dissanayake, RSU-SAARC, FAO animal disease information systems 14:45-15:15 Plenary session: Group finding presentations and discussion 15:15:15:45 Tea/Coffee 15:45-16:15 Recommendations, discussion and way forward Santanu Bandyopadhyay, RSU-SAARC 16:15-16:45 Closing session Closing remarks Closing remarks Closing remarks Closing remarks 17:00 Close Santanu Bandyopadhyay, RSU Coordinator Peter Black, ECTAD, FAO RAP Mr MJ Jabed, Director, DARD, SAARC Dr Keshav Premy, DG, DoLS, Ministry of Livestock Development

52 54 Third SAARC Regional Epidemiology Networking Workshop/Meeting, 2-3 February 2016 Annex 2: List of participants AFGHANISTAN Dr Hamid Nawroz Disease Response Manager Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock, The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Tel: BANGLADESH Dr Md Mehedi Hossain Chief, EPI Unit Department of Livestock Services-DLS Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock Farmgate, Dhaka-1215, Bangladesh Mob: Dr Md Haider Ali Upazila Livestock Officer Kachua, Chandpur, Bangladesh Department of Livestock Services-DLS Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock People s Republic of Bangladesh BHUTAN Dr Tenzin Deputy Chief Veterinary Officer National Centre for Animal Health (NCAH) Department of Livestock, Serbithang, Bhutan Tel: / tenzinvp@gmail.com Dr Gempo Tshewang Veterinary Officer Satellite Veterinary Laboratory (SVL) Ministry of Agriculture & Forests Gelephu, Bhutan gembotshewang@yahoo.com INDIA Dr A. J. V. Prasad Joint Secretary-Livestock Health Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairy & Fisheries, Ministry of Agriculture, India Tel: Mob: jslh-dadf@nic.id Dr H. K. Muniyellappa Joint Commissioner-Livestock Health Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairy &Fisheries Ministry of Agriculture, India Tel: Mob: hkmuni@gmail.com NEPAL Mr Shyam Prasad Poudel Joint Secretary Ministry of Livestock Development Singh Darbar, Kathmandu. Nepal Tel: Mob: Dr Keshav Prasad Premy Director General (SAARC-CVO) Department of Livestock Services Ministry of Agriculture Development Harihar Bhavan, Kathmandu, Nepal Tel: Fax: Mob: premy_np@yahoo.com Dr Vijay Kant Jha Deputy Director General Department of Livestock Services Ministry of Agriculture Development Harihar Bhawan, Lalitpur, Nepal Tel: Mob: Dr Samjhana Kumari Kafle Pandey Chief Veterinary Officer, Department of Livestock Services Ministry of Agriculture Development, Lalitpur, Nepal Mob: samjhanapandey2015@gmail.com Dr Diker Dev Bhatt Senior Veterinary Officer, Department of Livestock Services Ministry of Agri Development, Lalitpur, Nepal Mob: bhattdikerdev@yahoo.com PAKISTAN Dr Muhammad Abubakar Scientific Officer National Veterinary Laboratories Park Road, Islamabad, Pakistan Tel: Mob: mabnvl@gmail.com

53 Third SAARC Regional Epidemiology Networking Workshop/Meeting, 2-3 February Dr Manssor Hasan Khan Research Officer, STAT, Livestock Wing National Food Security and Research Islamabad, Pakistan Tel: SRI LANKA Dr V.M.K. Yaparatne Deputy Director, District Office Dept. of Animal Production & Health, Kegalle, Sri Lanka Tel: Mob: / Dr Udayarani Kuhendran Deputy Director Dept. of Animal Production & Health Add: Pioneer Road, Batticaloa, Sri Lanka Tel: Mob: ukugendran@gmail.com ICAR-NIVEDI Dr Divakar Hemadri Principal Scientist National Institute of Veterinary Epidemiology and Disease Informatics (NIVEDI) Indian Council for Agri. Research (ICAR), India Tel: (Direct) divakar.hemadri@gmail.com DTRA Dr Jeanne M. Fair Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) Cooperative Biological Engagement Program, Science Lead Middle East & South Asia Office: Mob: Jeanne.m.fair.civ@mail.mil ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK-ADB Mr Govinda P. Gewali Senior Project Officer Nepal Resident Mission, Asian Development Bank (ADB) Metro Park Building, Lazimpat, Ward No. 2, PO Box 5017, Kathmandu, Nepal Tel Ext ggewali@adb.org SAARC SECRETARIAT Dr MJH Jabed Director, Agriculture, Rural Development and Food Security, SAARC Secretariat P.O. Box: 4222, Tridevi Marg, Thamel, Kathmandu, Nepal Tel: /785 (ext.234) dirban@saarc-sec.org Dr Md. Rejaul Karim Desk Officer, Division of Agriculture, Rural Development and Food Security, SAARC Secretariat Tel: /85 (ext.234) rejaul@saarc-sec.org FAO ECTAD RAP Dr Peter Black Deputy Regional Manager FAO ECTAD RAP Add: 39 Phra Athit Road Bangkok Thailand Tel: Fax: Peter.Black@fao.org Dr Kachen Wongsathapornchai Project Coordinator FAO ECTAD RAP Add: 39 Phra Athit Road Bangkok 10200Thailand Tel: Fax: Kachen.Wongsathapornchai@fao.org FAO ECTAD BANGLADESH Dr Nitish Debnath One Health Coordinator FAO ECTAD Bangladesh Dept. of Livestock Services (DLS) Office, Krishi Khamar Sarak, Farmgate, Dhaka 1215 Bangladesh Nitish.Debnath@fao.org FAO ECTAD CHINA Mr Hao Tang Project Coordinator, FAO ECTAD CHINA Add: 14 Liangmahe Nanlu, Chaoyang, Beijing China Tel: Hao.Tang@Fao.Org

54 56 Third SAARC Regional Epidemiology Networking Workshop/Meeting, 2-3 February 2016 FAO ECTAD NEPAL Dr Baikuntha Parajuli National Project Director FAO ECTAD Nepal PO Box # 25, UN House, Kathmandu, Nepal Tel: EXT 107 Mob: Baikuntha.Parajuli@Fao.Org Mr Bishnu Bahadur Adhikari Project Coordinator FAO ECTAD Nepal PO Box # 25, UN House, Kathmandu, Nepal Tel: EXT106 Mob: Bishnu.Adhikari@fao.org RSU-SAARC/FAO Dr Santanu Bandyopadyay RSU Coordinador, RSU-SAAR, FAO NEPAL PO Box # 25, Kathmandu, Nepal Tel: EXT 112 Mob: Santanu.Bandyopadyay@Fao.org Dr Khadak Singh Bisht RSU Assistant Coordinador, RSU-SAARC, FAO NEPAL PO Box # 25, Kathmandu, Nepal Tel: EXT 114 Mob: , bisht.khadaksingh@fao.org Dr Pasang Tshering REC Coordinator RSU-SAARC, FAO NEPAL PO Box # 25, Kathmandu, Nepal Tel: EXT 105 Mob: , Pasang.Tshering@Fao.Org Dr Ravi Dissanayake Disease Info. and Data Expert RSU-SAARC, FAO NEPAL PO Box # 25, Kathmandu, Nepal Tel: EXT Ravi.Dissanyake@fao.org Mr Sangharsha Bhattarai ICT and Website Manager RSU-SAARC, FAO NEPAL PO Box # 25, Kathmandu, Nepal Tel: EXT Sangharsha.Bhattarai@fao.org Mr Jie WANG Programme Officer RSU-SAAR, FAO NEPAL PO Box # 25, Kathmandu, Nepal Tel: EXT 109 Mob: Jie.Wang@Fao.Org Ms Mamata Chauhary Operations & Finance Officer RSU-SAARC, FAO NEPAL PO Box # 25, Kathmandu, Nepal Tel: EXT 113 Mob: Mamat.Chaudhary@Fao.Org Mr Pranaya Raj Ghimire Admin and Finance Assistant RSU-SAAR, FAO NEPAL PO Box # 25, Kathmandu, Nepal Tel: EXT 116 Mob: Ghimire.PranayaRaj@fao.org

55 Third SAARC Regional Epidemiology Networking Workshop/Meeting, 2-3 February Annex 3: Poster presentations on sharing of Success Stories from the SAARC region Annex 3a: Sanitary Mandate Contractual Scheme (SMCS) in Afghanistan: a tool for epidemiological surveillance

56 58 Third SAARC Regional Epidemiology Networking Workshop/Meeting, 2-3 February 2016 Annex 3b: Development of One Health Policies and Practices in Bangladesh: Lessons learned

57 Third SAARC Regional Epidemiology Networking Workshop/Meeting, 2-3 February Annex 3c: Survey of Free-Roaming Dogs, Rabies Control & Dog Population Management using Capture-Neuter-Vaccinate-Release (CNVR) Technique in Bhutan

58 60 Third SAARC Regional Epidemiology Networking Workshop/Meeting, 2-3 February 2016 Annex 3d: National Animal Disease Reporting System (NADRS), India

59 Third SAARC Regional Epidemiology Networking Workshop/Meeting, 2-3 February Annex 3e: Epidemiology Needs Assessment using Epidemiology Mapping Tool (EMT) and its Application in Nepal

60 62 Third SAARC Regional Epidemiology Networking Workshop/Meeting, 2-3 February 2016 Annex 3f: Strategy for Progressive Control of Foot and Mouth Disease in Pakistan

61 Annex 3g: Animal Health Information System in Sri Lanka