Page 4 - Vol.39-No.9 issue

ANIMAL BREEDING AND TRAN’S
EDITORIAL
BOUNDARY DISEASES

Tran’s boundary and zoonotic animal diseases kill and Successful networking, updating of methodologies
impair animals, pose challenges to food production and optimized resource utilization, tools and imple-
and distribution, threaten public health, and a!ect mentation strategies have made it possible to free the
rural livelihood. Nuclear and related immunological and world of rinderpest in 2011. A key element was the
molecular techniques are essential tools in the early, Africa-wide implementation of a technology based on
rapid and accurate diagnoses of such diseases. immunoassay – a serological test – which has pro-
vided the platform to monitor national vaccination
Animal diseases have increasingly become a problem,
in particular those that have the potential to spread programmes of the Pan African Rinderpest Eradication
across borders or from animals to humans (zoonotic Campaign and thereby saving animals from the disease.
diseases). Not only do they kill animals and threaten This led to an annual economic benefit to the region
public health, they also have serious knock-on e!ects estimated at US $920 million.
by limiting the trade of animals, of food from animal This successful networking e!ort has led to further
origin and of animal genetic material; and by restricting integrated moves by Member States and organizations
their breeding. This directly a!ects food security, es- in the UN system, including the FAO, IAEA, WHO and
pecially in rural livelihoods. Global climate change and the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), to
the increased movement of animals and people are contain Ebola, avian influenza and other transboundary
creating favourable conditions for the emergence or animal and zoonotic diseases.
re-emergence of such diseases, further exacerbating
the problem. How nuclear and isotopic techniques
can contribute
Jointly with the FAO, the IAEA assists Member States
in developing and adopting nuclear-based technologies Nuclear as well as nuclear-related and nuclear-de-
for optimizing animal health management practices rived immunological and molecular technologies play
that help intensify animal production and optimize important and o"en unique roles in animal health man-
the utilization of natural resources. agement. They are easy to use, rapid, sensitive, spe-
cific and robust, and can o!er significant advantages
Global Rinderpest eradication: an over other methods. This includes point-of-care use,
important success in combating animal which supports the e!orts of veterinary authorities,
diseases extension services and farmers to control and eradicate
Recent epidemics of zoonotic diseases, such as Ebola diseases that negatively impact on animal productivity
and health.
and avian influenza (caused by the avian influenza virus
H5N1/H7N9) continue to be threats to public health. Stable isotope ratios provide a way of tracing animal
Other diseases that kill animals or force massive culling movements, thereby enabling a more e#cient assess-
across geographical borders, causing losses of millions ment of the risks of disease transmission. Exposure
of animals and huge economic costs, include the Ri" of pathogens to controlled doses of gamma irradia-
Valley fever; African swine fever; peste des petits tion makes it possible to develop attenuated vaccines
ruminants; and foot-and-mouth disease, among oth- containing metabolically active but non-replicating
ers. Strategic preparedness, rapid diagnosis and early pathogens that are capable of inducing a strong im-
response are important means and tools to address or munological response and memory, especially in cases
even prevent outbreaks, and to plan the containment of parasitic diseases that cause substantial production
or eradication of such diseases. losses worldwide.

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