OIE’s Active Search and Verification of non official Animal Disease Information Results of five years activities K. Ben Jebara & M.C. Ramirez Animal Health Information Department GLEWS Working Group on Early Warning, Rome, 10-12 April 2007

Objective Improve the efficiency of the OIE’s Early Warning System for better animal disease awareness and preparedness

Content Mandate Main steps of Active Search and Verification of non-official information OIE Tracking Template New Notification Procedures Verification Results Complementarities between Official and unofficial Sources of Information Conclusions

Mandate In application of the DG’s Work Programme adopted by the OIE International Committee during the 69th General Session (May 2001), the OIE Central Bureau is authorised to question any Delegate of a Member Country regarding animal health incidents reported in the media (newspapers, scientific journals, ProMed, etc.)

OIE internal verification historical information) Main Steps of Active Search and Verification of non official Information Internet resources ProMed GPHIN … OIE Headquarters-Departments OIE Regional representations OIE Reference laboratories OIE Collaborating centers GLEWS ( FAO, WHO ) No OIE internal verification (OIE databases, historical information) 2 cases Non official information Case 2 Possible new epidemiological event Action based on Article 1.1.2 of the Terrestrial Animal Health Code Case 1 Existing disease in a country without new epidemiological event No action Analysis OIE Animal Health Information Dept. Information already known? Yes No action

Main Steps of Active Search and Verification of non official Information (cont) Action based on Article 1.1.2 of the Terrestrial Animal Health Code Official letter Official answer ? No Follow-up management and recall Yes OIE internal verification (OIE’s databases, historical information) Final report Event closed Disease, Infection or event confirmed Disease, infection or event non confirmed Immediate notification Follow-up report GLEWS OIE Departments, OIE Regional representatives Event closed

OIE Tracking Template 1. Event identification 2. Analysis 3. Reason for notification 4. Action 5. Response 6. Additional comments

OIE Tracking: Example 1 Event: West Nile fever in Oman Source of information: Newspapers online (Aljazeera) Result of Analysis: Immediate notification Reason for notification: Article 1.1.3.3 of the OIE Terrestrial Animal Health Code (version 2003) “for diseases not listed by the OIE, if there is information of exceptional epidemiological significance to other countries, for example if a disease may be a zoonosis” Action: Letter sent on 21 November 2003 Response: 28 November 2003 confirming for the first time in the country the occurrence of WNV

OIE Tracking: Example 1

OIE Tracking: Example 2 Event: FMD suspicion - Peru Source of information: Reuters (7 January 2005) Result of Analysis: Immediate notification Reason for notification: Article 1.1.2.3 b of the OIE Terrestrial Animal Health Code (version 2004) “re-occurrence of listed disease and/or infection in a country or zone/compartment following a report declared the outbreak ended” Action: Letter sent on 10 January 2005 Response: 12 January 2005 confirming Anthrax. Published in INFOSAN on 14 January.

OIE Tracking: Example 2

New Notification procedures (2005): better coverage of exceptional diseases events/adaptation of active search of information What needs immediate notification - within 24 hours? The first occurrence of an OIE-listed disease or infection in a country or zone/compartment; The first occurrence of a new strain of a pathogen of a listed disease in a country or zone/compartment;

Notification procedures (cont.1) The re-occurrence of a listed disease or infection in a country or zone/ compartment following a report by the Delegate of the Member Country declaring the previous outbreak (s) eradicated; A sudden and unexpected increase in morbidity or mortality caused by an existing listed disease;

Notification procedures (cont.2) An emerging disease with significant morbidity /mortality or zoonotic potential; Evidence of change in the epidemiology of a listed disease (e.g. host range, pathogenicity, strain of causative pathogen), in particular if there is a zoonotic impact.

Notification procedures (cont.3) Weekly reports: Follow-up to the immediate notification to inform on progress of the epidemiological situation (final report)

OIE Tracking: Example 3 Event: FMD in Uganda Source of information: Promed (7 January 2005) Result of Analysis: Immediate notification Reason for notification: Article 1.1.2.3 d of the OIE Terrestrial Animal Health Code (version 2004) “a sudden and unexpected increase in the distribution, incidence, morbidity, mortality, mortality of a disease prevalent within a country or zone/compartment” Action: Letter sent on 13 January 2005 Additional comment: OIE could not verify this with the former notification system.

OIE New Tracking Activities: Example 4

Not all exceptional disease events are covered by un-official sources of information

Not all exceptional disease events are covered by un-official sources of information

Official notifications Invalidated non-official information Verification Results Year No. of correspondences Responses No response Official notifications Invalidated non-official information 2002 32 18 (56%) 14 (43%) 0% 2003 29 24 (79.2%) 5 (20.8%) 14 (48.27%) 30.93% 2004 85 67 (78.8%) 18 (21.2%) 39 (48.75%) 30.05% 2005 97 74 (76.28%) 23 (23.71) 36 (37.11%) 39.17% 2006 118 83 (70.33%) (35 29.66) 69 (58.47%) 11.86%

Verification Results by OIE Member Countries Number of correspondences, responses and no responses

Verification Results by OIE Member Countries Percentage of responses, official notifications and invalidated non-official information

Complementarities between Official and un-official Sources of Information Non-official sources of information are important to improve transparency (69 official notifications obtained in 2006) Verification process is important to confirm or not the non official information Important source of dissemination of official information to a wider audience

Dissemination of OIE’s reports by ProMed

Main disseminated OIE’s reports by ProMed and by Disease

Conclusions The number of verifications of non official information from OIE Member Countries is increasing year after year since 2002 The number of responses from OIE Member Countries has also increased since 2002, as reflected by the increase in the number of OIE’s disseminated official reports Between 2002 and 2004, most of the information verified by the OIE was on former List A diseases, especially HPAI in South East Asia in 2004.

Conclusions The new notification requirements that entered in force in 2005 enlarged the OIE’s verification process to other diseases and to additional significant epidemiological events A new output as a result of active search activity has been the invalidated non-official information which brings an added value to official information and to seek the truth The joint FAO/OIE/WHO GLEWS preliminary results for disease tracking and verification are encouraging. This Working Group I should bring recommendations to improve joint disease tracking activities and verification and to propose other sources of non-official information that can be used by the three organisations

Conclusions Both official and un-official sources of information are important for transparency and are complementary The cover of some regions/countries/diseases/ exceptional epidemiological events by the media and networks such as GPHIN, ProMed, etc. is not yet optimal, which, in addition to the weakness of some veterinary authorities might constitute pockets for emerging diseases and a source of threat to other countries

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