Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Five countries of the Central Asian region have created a unified animal health network. An agreement on cooperation on the implementation of a platform for animal health data collection has been signed between the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Qoldau.kz platform, represented by Information and Accounting Center JSC.

The establishment of the “Central Asian Animal Health Network” (CAAHN) was initiated by the FAO in collaboration with the OIE (World Organization for Animal Health) and was agreed by representatives of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan at the end of last year in Tashkent. Today, generation of data is underway. Combining the data on a single platform will provide a possibility to coordinate actions and manage the risks of the occurrence and spread of animal diseases, explains FAO international animal health expert Dinara IMANBAYEVA:

FAO project participants prioritized diseases for which also data sharing will begin. These are brucellosis, echinococcosis, anthrax, foot and mouth disease and peste des petit ruminants. Disease data through the Qoldau.kz web platform will be submitted by countries on a quarterly basis and will be available to participating countries. Initially, these will be data on brucellosis in animals and humans and their pathogens, thereby identifying areas with a high risk of infection. Including in cross-border territories, which is important for the prevention and control of diseases. All this will be visualized, meaning that, there will be a special digital map. In addition, the database will contain data on vaccination, vaccines used and diagnostic results. This will allow to evaluate the effectiveness of national disease control programs.

According to the speaker, the issue of good epidemiological situation should be resolved at the supranational, regional level. This is due to the problems associated with animal disease in one country create problems in neighboring regions. Especially when it comes to livestock products export. Disease control measures are also more effective if they are coordinated in several regions of neighboring countries.

In general, the regional animal health network includes:

- exchange of information and experience between laboratories;

- standardization of laboratory, field preventive, communication and other procedures;

- harmonization of policies and approaches;

- identification of gaps, weaknesses and priorities;

- training, expansion of cooperation between veterinary services, exchange of experience, and joint efforts;

- coordination of work on specific diseases, areas.

All this will help harmonize and plan events throughout the region. According to FAO, the Central Asian region is one of the most problematic in terms of the epidemiological situation. In particular, the incidence rates of people with brucellosis in the region are ten times higher than in Eastern Europe. Brucellosis is detected annually in more than 1 thousand Kazakhstanis. And most of the cases occur in the southern regions bordering neighboring states. Naturally, these are the people who came in contact with a diseased animal. Therefore, if the disease is eradicated among animals, citizens will not get affected by brucellosis.

It should be noted that the establishment of regional animal health networks is not the first experience for the FAO. Similar networks were created at the FAO initiative with other international agencies and organizations. For example, such networks have been launched in different parts of Africa, as well as in Southeast and South Asia, where they have been shown to be effective.