Creation date (First meeting)

May 2007 (May 2009, Haiti)

Chair

Dr. María Teresa FRÍAS LEPOUREAU (CENSA, Cuba)

Contact

Write to the Working Group

Diseases of interest

Classical Swine Fever and Teschen Disease

 General objective

Promote coordinated and cooperative work on the following domains: epidemiologic surveillance, identification, control and eradication and/or the prevention of the introduction of Classical Swine Fever (CSF), Porcine Teschovirus Encephalomyelitis (PTEv) and other emerging and transboundary swine diseases in the Caribbean, according to the priority diseases identified by the Network.

 Specific objectives

i. Contribute to the control and/or eradication of CSF effort in Haiti, DR and Cuba in a coordinated manner and to support external regional efforts.

ii. Provide regional experts/specialists in different aspects of the priority swine diseases (Epidemiology, diagnostic…)

iii. Liaise with international experts for consulting and training/information on the swine diseases of interest.

iv. Promote the harmonization of regional surveillance systems, eradication strategies and control protocols as it pertains to swine diseases;

v. Develop, validate and provide user friendly tools for assessing the risk of introduction of swine diseases in unaffected countries with support of the CaribVET Epidemiology WG (Epigroup).

vi. Improve, the diagnostic capabilities on swine diseases of national veterinary diagnostic laboratories in an harmonized and coordinated way (training programs, inter-laboratories assays) with the support and under the coordination of the Laboratory, Quality Assurance and Diagnostic Working Group of CaribVET

vii. Define regional emergency preparedness plans, with the support of the CaribVET Epidemiology Working Group for any serious Swine disease.

viii. Impart the results obtained in the group using the communication means of CaribVET and promote group work in other international frameworks (review, events, etc.)

ix. Propose and support any research deemed necessary on the diseases of interest.

x. Promote alliances between the public and private sectors for the financial support with the control programmes/eradication and emergency plans in front of the priority swine diseases for the region

xi. Contribute to the content of the Website and other Communication materials / tools by moderating and providing updated information pertaining to their specialty;

 Main activities

- Conceptual framework of Risk Assessment of CSF and Teschovirus encephalomyelitis introduction

- Regular CSF Inter-lab assays organized in affected countries

- Assistance of countries willing to conduct CSF surveillance in Wild boars

- Participation in the workshop on molecular diagnostic of swine Influenza A H1N1 viruses and on Quality Assurance