1. The role of the OIE in biological threat reduction
Keith Hamilton
World Organisation for Animal Health

2. World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE)
An intergovernmental organisation, founded in 1924
100+ OIE listed diseases
176 Members Countries
(June 2010)
Headquarters in Paris, France
5 Regional offices
6 Regional sub offices 53 13 20 29 52 35 2

3. Threats

4. Animal disease agents as bio weapons
Global vulnerability (food, globalisation, climate)
Impact – actual and perceived (fear)
Cheap
Relatively easy to acquire, smuggle, propagate, and deliver

5. Detection
Whether a disease outbreak results from a natural event, accidental release or deliberate release – early detection is essential to allow a rapid and effective response so that losses are kept to a minimum.
Early detection and rapid reporting allows national governments to RESPOND and contain the disease outbreaks in their own country and at an international level allows other countries to take science based measures to prevent introduction of disease through movements of animals and animal products.
Delays in detection lead to spiralling costs, longer time to control the disease and greater health impacts.

6. OIE is responsible for transparency
of the global animal disease situation
OIE Members undertake to notify important diseases to OIE
– this has a legal basis and includes
OIE listed diseases (100+ of the most severe disease threats to human and animal health, and to economies worldwide)
Emerging diseases
Significant epidemiological events
OIE disseminates official reports from Members to all Members via an alert system and to the public via WAHID

7. The Global Early Warning and Response System (GLEWS)
joint disease tracking by OIE, WHO, and FAO
combines and coordinates the alert and response mechanisms of OIE, FAO and WHO
assists in prediction, prevention and control of animal disease threats, including zoonoses
validation of rumours

8. Response

9. Outbreak response OIE network of expertise
OIE Experts in
Ref. Laboratories
Collaborating Centres
Technical support
OIE expert missions
OIE Reference Laboratory mandate ‘to place expert consultants at the disposal of the OIE’
Joint missions with FAO and WHO
FAO-OIE Crisis Management Centre – Animal Health
Rapid response capability

10. Crisis Management Centre – Animal Health
Function
Deploys missions and develops tools
to support veterinary services
responding to disease emergencies 10

11. Investigations

12. Possible origins of animal disease outbreak
“Mechanisms for disease detection and control for a natural, deliberate
or accidental release of animal pathogen or emerging pathogen
are virtually the same”
Natural disease outbreaks
Deliberate release (bioterrorism)
Breaches in laboratory bio-containment
New and emerging diseases   

13. Confirmed outbreak of an OIE listed disease in a developing country where there is suspicion of deliberate or accidental release
National response
OIE notified
Samples sent to OIE RL
for characterisation
Measures to prevent
International spread (e.g. alert to neighbouring countries, trade partners)
International response
If there is suspicion that
Outbreak is not a natural event
Expert mission
(OIE, FAO, CMC-AH)
UNODA

14. Real example: pandemic H1N1
April ’09: novel H1N1 virus with genes of avian, swine, and human origin causing infections in humans in North America with sustained
human to human transmission
May ’09: WHO warned of imminent publication of paper
suggesting the virus has a laboratory origin
Within 24 hours key experts from WHO and OFFLU networks are
mobilised to provide expert opinion in joint WHO-OFFLU telecon
Conclusion: the hypothesis is flawed and the paper does not present scientific evidence to suggest the virus has a laboratory origin

15. Protection

16. Veterinary services are global public goods
poverty alleviation
protecting animal health
food security
protecting public health
market access
protecting animal welfare
food safety
biological threat reduction 16

17. OIE Mechanisms Legally based disease reporting system
International Standards (WTO backing)
Surveillance
Diagnosis and vaccine production
Trade measures to prevent spread of disease through trade
Biosafety biosecurity
Expertise
Advocacy

18. OIE actions to strengthen Veterinary Services globally

19. based on 46 core competencies
The OIE-PVS Tool and Gap Analyses
Evaluate and improve the Performance of Veterinary Services
Improve compliance with OIE Standards
Follow-up:
PVS monitoring
Gap analyses
Assistance with legislation
based on 46 core competencies

23. The OIE - a global partner in the promotion of animal health and food security
GF-TADS
FAO/OIE Crisis Management
Center