1. Development of a regional surveillance design and manual
Sabina Šerić-Haračić
TCDC/TCCT consultant – Aquatic epidemiology
Nihad Fejzic
International Consultant - Disease Surveillance, Monitoring and Reporting;
Contingency Planning and Emergency Prepare

2. Presentation overview
Overview of the basic concepts of disease surveillance
B. Footsteps in establishing regionally harmonized surveillance in participating countries for selected fish diseases
C. Key features and outputs of regional surveillance
D. Surveillance manual

3. A. Basic concepts of disease surveillance
Surveillance - all regular activities to ascertain health status of population for early detection and control of animal diseases
purpose/aims,
justification
population definition,
methodology
administrative structure/hierarchy,
financing arrangements
timeframe and
expected outputs

4. A. Basic concepts of disease surveillance
1st Regional workshop – Belgrade „Improving National and Regional Disease Surveillance, Monitoring and Reporting System”
Check list for drafting/evaluation surveillance plans
Self-evaluation of individual country's work and achievements in aquatic animal diseases surveillance
Panel disscusion - joint weighting of different surveillance approaches

5. A. Basic concepts of disease surveillance
Tailored designed
wide variety of species cultured, the pathogens and management systems
Support to domestic production
Aid to international trade
international disease reporting, OIE/EU standards
Moving toward Output based approaches

6. A. Basic concepts of disease surveillance
Surveillance aims:
Early detection of disease
Demonstrating freedom of disease
Control/eradication of disease
disease monitoring –
detection of disease trends
deals with EXOTIC diseases
deals with ENDEMIC diseases

7. A. Basic concepts of disease surveillance
Output orientated surveillance strategy
Aims linked to measurable implementation indicators
Inclusive population definition
(national inventory, surveillance aims, accounting for risks)
Documentation of methodology/sampling
Diagnostics
Design prevalence
Quality assurance systems
Reporting and transparency

8. Is this all that good disease surveillance needs?

9. Is this all that good disease surveillance needs?

10. Diagnostics
More than having good test
Surveillance
More than having right sample size

11. B. Footsteps in establishing regionally harmonized surveillance
Workshop 1: Improving National and Regional Disease Surveillance, Monitoring and Reporting Systems
Inventory of existing surveillance measures and outcomes in participating countries
Selecting priority diseases
Establishing aims of surveillance
Selecting surveillance approach
Workshop 2: Improving Capacity for Diagnosis of Disease of Fish and Molluscs
Selecting appropriate diagnostics protocols
Testing performance in relation to sampling, surveillance data analysis and expected outcomes

12. B. Footsteps in establishing regionally harmonized surveillance
Country
National pathogen list
Farm registry
Type of surveillance
Diseases monitored
Results
BiH
As in OIE/EU
Export farms
Passive + biannual sampling
VHS and SCV
Negative
Croatia
+ nationally important diseases
Voluntary
Targeted + biannual sampling
VHS, KHV
VHS (2013-ongoing)
Macedonia
Nationally important diseases
Yes but not all inclusive
Biannual sampling
VHS, IPN, SCV, KHV
Montenegro No
General
VHS
Serbia
Commercial farms
VHS, IPH, SCV, KHV

13. B. Footsteps in establishing regionally harmonized surveillance
Criteria for disease selection:
Shared interest for improving /amending existing surveillance activities
Prevent effects of disease entry (high morbidity/mortality)
Maintain/gain export status
VHS/IHN and KHV listed by OIE/EU
SCV listed by OIE
Salmonid fish farming is the most important fresh water aquaculture branch in BiH, Croatia, Macedonia and Montenegro, and it is second important in Serbia
Serbia has widespread carp farming, which is also important in BiH, Croatia and Macedonia

14. B. Footsteps in establishing regionally harmonized surveillance
VHS - Viral hemorrhagic septicemia IPN - Infectious pancreatic necrosis Affects salmonid fish Horizontally transmitted viral disease Tell tale clinical signs + up to 80% mortality Clinical signs and high mortality in fry and fingerlings SCV - Spring Viraemia of Carp KHV – Koi Herpes Virus disease Affects cyprinid and other fish Cyprinids (consumption and ornamental) Viral agent transmitted by direct contact Virus transmitted directly but vertical transmission not ruled out Mortality and losses in all age categories Highly contagious with up to 100% mortality Occurs with water temp 15-28C Occurs with water temp 7-17C

15. B. Footsteps in establishing regionally harmonized surveillance
Framework of the regionally harmonized surveillance:
Purpose - improving/amending existing national surveillance activities
Targeted surveillance to demonstrate disease free status of establishments (farm level) in non approved zones
Countries may be assumed free from these diseases
All countries to establish output equivalent surveillance systems for all 4 diseases
Diagnostic resources and expertise shared multilaterally
Mutual recognition of accredited disease free farms
Information exchange on regional level

16. B. Footsteps in establishing regionally harmonized surveillance
Aims of surveillance:
To demonstrate freedom from disease on farm level for farms included in national farm accreditation programs
Epidemiological unit - farm
Observation unit - pond
Supported by disease biology
Accounts for disease clustering

17. B. Footsteps in establishing regionally harmonized surveillance
Surveillance approaches:
Passive component!!!
Farm owners/manager actively participate
Harmonized definitions for reporting disease suspicion
Active component
Based on national Farm registry / farm accreditation programs
Sharing of data - transparency
For VHS EU Commission decision 2001/183/EC
For IPN - same sampling visits/samples as for VHS
For SVC testing of bloodstock carp and ovarian fluid, fish up to 2 y 1-2 inspection/year
For KHV disease inspections in summer, more frequent for farms at higher risk
Containment measures
According to national (international) disease containment requirements

18. C. Key features and outputs of regional surveillance
In each country:
Commercial aquaculture production exists
Aquatic animal health (AAH) administration within national veterinary administration
Has defined national aquatic animal pathogen list – content varies much between countries
Has implemented AAH activities
BiH since 2004
Croatia since 2010
Macedonia since 2007
Montenegro since 2008
Serbia since 2010

19. Veterinary inspection
BiH
Croatia
Macedonia
Montenegro
Serbia
AAH administration
National
Yes
Intermediate -
Regional
Local
Veterinary inspection
Within NCA
Border
Independent from NCA
Internal
AAH surveillance
Organized
NCA – Vet.office
NCA – Vet. & food safety directorate
NCA – Food & Vet. agency
NCA – Vet.administ.
NCA – Vet. Directorate
Implemented
Reg./local vet. inspectors
Local vet. inspectors
Vets. and local vet. inspectors
Dg.labs
Vet. Inspectors and dg.labs
Farm registry
Salmonid 48 27 50 32
52 (no registry)
Cyprinid 13 30
55 (no registry)
Maricultrue 2
300 18
Type of farming
Broodstock and growing
growing
Epi unit
Farm
Pond
Movement control No
Between farms
Within and between farms
Zooning

20. C. Key features and outputs of regional surveillance
Surveillance check list
Aims/purpose of surveillance
Definition of population
Clustering of disease
Case/outbreak definition
Sampling
Diagnostics/testing
Methodology
Data management
Validation
Quality assurance
Human and financial requirements
Putting surveillance plan into the bigger picture (biosecurity, animal health aquaculture...)

21. C. Key features and outputs of regional surveillance
Passive surveillance component
BiH
Croatia
Macedonia
Montenegro
Serbia
Observation at premises
None
mortality+ clinical signs
1 farm suspected for IPN
No of samples pond/fish -
15/30
All/10
Sampled material
Whole fish
Pooling/No
Yes/5 ?
Diagnosis
VHS
IPN
Status of farm/s
Still infected/
under investigation
Still infected

22. C. Key features and outputs of regional surveillance
Active surveillance component
BiH
Croatia
Macedonia
Montenegro
Serbia
% investigated of registered
Salmonid farms
62,5%
89%
32%
37,5%
100%
Cyprinid farms
46,2% 8% -
Fq of sampling
Spring/Autumn
2x/yr
2x/yr (salmonid)
1x/yr
3x/y
(salmonid)
Summer sampling for KHV No
Yes
No of samples ponds/fish
?/10
?/30
?/?
2-5/25-30
All/5-150
Sampled material
Whole fish
Fish organs
Pooling/No
Yes/10
Yes/5
Yes/?
Yes (3-5)
Yes/(2-10)
Diagnosis
Negative
VHS and IPN
IPN
Monitoring of wild sus.sp.

23. C. Key features and outputs of regional surveillance
Regional component
BiH
Croatia
Macedonia
Montenegro
Serbia
Selected diseases included in national pathogen list
Not IPN
Yes
Reporting
Investigation of disease suspition - No
Positive active surveillance results
Recievieing reports

24. C. Key features and outputs of regional surveillance
Opportunities to follow up:
Comparable surveillance outputs
Most countries base surveillance activities on farm level
None of the countries applies zooning so far
More harmonized national pathogen lists
Similar sampling frequency and protocols
Project web site new platform for exchange of information on current and future activities
Investigated diseases not seen so far in countries trading out (exporting aquaculture branch)
Threats:
Lesser funding/attention available for aquatic animal health programs
many countries could not ensure additional sampling for KHV
Movement control and monitoring diseases in wild species
So farm unsuccessful national containment after disease enters a country

25. D. Surveillance manual
National presentations from 1st Regional workshop - Belgrade
Questionnaire on current AAH admnistration and aquatic animal diseases surveillance
Surveillance manual 1st draft presented at 2nd Regional workshop - Banjaluka
Each contry provided sugesstions
Questionaire on implementation of surveillance during the project
Passive
Active
Regional component
Final draft expected after final project workshop

26. D. Surveillance manual Areas covered:
Description of aquatic animal health infrastructure and activities in each country
Short summary of relevant information on selected diseases
Disease surveillance – definition, setting objectives, international standards
Aquatic animal diseases surveillance in the Region/Regional surveillance
passive component
active component
diagnostics
control measures
reporting
Regional cooperation and activities

27. Thank you for you attention