Project Breakdown

WorkPackage 1: Research, gaps, duplications

To identify

Lead Contractor for FMD - John Bashiruddin, Institute for Animal Health, Pirbright, UK (IAH); lead contractor for CSF: Volker Moennig, Insititute of Virology (TiHo), Germany.

Objectives:

To identify current FMD and CSF research efforts, actors and policy. To strengthen FMD and CSF expertise and formulate long-term development options in FMD and CSF research with trans-national and global collaboration.

Deliverables:

• Inventory of FMD and CSF research programmes/projects, and orientations.
• Workshop for selected research programme managers to identify policy objectives and orientations.
• Report: Policy objectives and orientations of the major national/international funding bodies.
• Establishment of a Task Force to identify options for long term development.
• Report(s) of task force on maintenance of FMD and CSF expertise at European and global level.

WorkPackage 2: Global disease surveillance

Lead Contractor for FMD - David Paton, Institute of Animal Health (IAH), UK; lead contractor for CSF: Trevor Drew, Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA), UK; OIE participant: Gideon Bruckner, World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), France.

Objectives:

Coordination of FMD and CSF reference laboratories to maximise surveillance information on the prevailing strains of FMD and CSF globally. This project will (1) analyse the weaknesses and strengths of the current surveillance arrangements, (2) prepare a strategic plan for improved surveillance, and (3) develop a networked group with a critical mass and common objectives to carry out more effective surveillance.

Deliverables:

• Establishment of a working group of experts.
• Meetings of the working group.
• Position paper on current surveillance and strategy paper on surveillance needs.
• Meeting of reference laboratories.
• Agreement reached on collaborative activities of reference laboratories.

WorkPackage 3: Risk research

Lead contractor - Larry Paisley, Danish Institute for Food and Veterinary Research (DFVF), Denmark.

Objectives:

Contribute to internationally agreeable, efficient and harmonised approaches to risk assessment for FMD and CSF introduction to livestock populations in EU member/accession/ candidate countries through (a) formation of a European network for exotic animal disease risk research, (b) development and implementation of a coordinated framework for global geographical risk assessment, (c) systematic documentation and review of risk assessment studies on FMD / CSF and advice on research coordination in the areas of release assessment (with emphasis on viral load and survival in animal products, in cooperation with WP2), exposure assessment, consequence assessment (with emphasis on spread through animal movement), and methodological issues (with emphasis on qualitative methods for risk assessment and risk ranking).

Deliverables:

• Report on European animal health risk research; experts, institutions, themes.
• State of FMD and CSF risk research; gaps, priorities, action points.
• Review of existing risk models for FMD and CSF introduction into the EU.
• Annual progress reports to FMD and CSF conferences.
• International workshop on global risk assessment for FMD and CSF.
• Resolutions and report of international workshop on global risk assessment for FMD and CSF virus circulation; overcoming the data gaps.
• Website of links to relevant risk research databases, information sources, tools.
• Paper on intelligence based surveillance for disease at ports and border inspection posts; problems and opportunities.

WorkPackage 4: Vaccine reserves

Lead contractor - Paul Barnett, Institute of Animal Health (IAH), UK; OIE participant: Gideon Bruckner, World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), France.

Objectives:

Coordinate antigen/vaccine bank activities around the world in order to develop standards for vaccine bank antigens, ensure a better control of FMD in the event of an outbreak and reduce the cost of individual membership.

Deliverables:

• Inventory of owners, technical advisors and managers of FMD antigen/vaccine banks worldwide.
• Workshop on key issues and concerns shared by antigen/vaccine bank technical advisors and managers.
• Establish network communications and collaborative links between antigen/vaccine.
• Expand network to include participants wishing to establish or participate in vaccine/antigen banks.
• Agreed standard protocols for testing and maintaining antigens/vaccines.

WorkPackage 5: Diagnostics

Lead contractor for FMD - Kris De Clercq, Centrum voor Oderzoek in Diergeneeskunde en Agrochemie (CODA), Belgium; lead contractor for CSF: Barbara Thuer, Institute of Virology and Immunoprophylaxis (IVI), Switzerland; OIE participant: Alejandro Schudel, World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), France.

Objectives:

Coordination and organisation of a platform for discussion on the developments of FMD diagnostic techniques, validation, quality control of FMD diagnostics and reference standards to improve the mutual recognition of test results. This WP will (1) gather information on the developments in FMD and CSF diagnostic techniques, validation, quality control (QC) and reference standards; (2) spread information to the National Reference Laboratories (NRL) and the other partners; (3) organise a platform for discussion and a workshop for NRL (FMD) and take recommendations from all partners forward to the relevant authorities such as OIE.

Deliverables:

• Yearly information gathering report on the developments in FMD diagnostic techniques, validation, quality control of FMD diagnostics and reference standards.
• A platform for discussion on the developments in FMD diagnostic techniques, validation, quality control of FMD diagnostics and reference standards.
• A platform for discussion on new developments in CSF diagnostic techniques, validation, quality control of CSF diagnostics and reference standards.
• Final information gathering report on new developments in CSF diagnostic techniques, validation, quality control of CSF diagnostics and reference standards.
• Workshop on the developments in FMD diagnostic techniques, validation, quality control and reference standards.
• Joint meeting of reference laboratories and agreement reached on diagnostic techniques and standards for FMD and CSF.

WorkPackage 6: Laboratory preparedness

Lead contractor - Ãse Uttenthal, Danish Institute for Food and Veterinary Research (DFVF), Denmark

Objectives:

To establish the current status of laboratory contingency planning for FMD and CSF, and to prepare laboratory contingency planning manuals for FMD and CSF for reference laboratories and national laboratories, particularly applicable to those in EU member states, accession states and candidate states.

Deliverables:

• Global reports on the current status of laboratory contingency planning for FMD and for CSF.
• The production of a manual for laboratory contingency planning against FMD and against CSF.
• Delivery of reports to FMD and CSF conferences.
• An overall improvement in disease preparedness in the laboratory, directly applicable to FMD and CSF and indirectly to other infectious and non-infectious diseases.

WorkPackage 7: Wild Boar

Lead contractor - Volker Moennig, Insititute of Virology (TiHo), Germany.

Objectives:

To review research and strategies for the control and eradication of classical swine fever in wild boar.

Deliverables:

• Inventory of owners, technical advisors and managers of FMD antigen/vaccine banks worldwide.
• Workshop on key issues and concerns shared by antigen/vaccine bank technical advisors and managers.
• Establish network communications and collaborative links between antigen/vaccine banks.
• Expand network to include participants wishing to establish or participate in vaccine/antigen banks.
• Agreed standard protocols for testing and maintaining antigens/vaccines.

WorkPackage 8: Refinement of disease management and control options

Lead contractor for FMD - Keith Sumption, European Commission for the Control of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (EUFMD) / Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), Italy; lead contractor for CSF: Willie Loeffen, Centraal Instituut Dierziekte Controle Lelystad (CIDC), Netherlands.

Objectives:

To identify potential changes to disease management options arising from new scientific or production system developments, and assist decision making on short and longer term disease management options of FMD and CSF.

Deliverables:

• Inventory of practical control strategies that were used in epidemics of CSF
• Web-accessible inventory of recent FMD control experiences
• Inventory of decision support models, and expert consultation on selection and use
• Report of the workshops on refinement of disease control options
• Best practise guidelines in application of emergency vaccination against FMD and CSF
• Report of the working group; Future of FMD and CSF control, options and outlook

Two further partners are involved in most of the workpackages described above: Stéphan Zientara, Agence Francaise de Securite Sanitaire des Aliments - Alfort (AFSSA), France; Bernd Haas, Friedrich Loeffler Institute (FLI), Germany.

Note that OIE is also known as the Office International des Epizooties.