Organization of Animal Health in Southeast Asia:Challenges and Opportunities for the Vietnam

Initiative on Zoonotic Infections (VIZIONS)

Jeffrey Gilbert, ILRICIAT-in-Asia NAFRI, Vientiane

VIZIONS Pre-inception workshopHo Chi Minh City, Vietnam, 3 October 2011

ILRI: Overview

• One of 15 international research centers of CGIAR (Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research)

• Individual Centres set up in 1960s (IRRI 1960, ILRAD 1973, ILCA 1974)

• CGIAR 1971: 19 northern Govts + IGO (FAO,WB,ADB …)• ILRI founded 1994; headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya• ILRI focus – livestock, livelihoods, IAR4D

• ILRI: organized in 4 research ‘themes’: markets, biotechnology, people-livestock-environment, poverty-gender-impact

• CG reform & ‘CGIAR Research Programmes’

Common themes: SE Asia

• Many countries experiencing the ‘livestock revolution’, but not all benefiting; poverty & animal-raising; rural/urban

• Investment in Animal Health / Veterinary Services in many countries far down the Govt priority list; similarly for Agriculture Extension Services

• Veterinary under-graduate and post-graduate training not to international standard; latter limited to overseas scholarships (many relied on former Soviet bloc)

• Both of above can make Vet Services a weak partner in joint Human/Animal Health partnerships; often the ‘blame game’ if zoonosis

• Many Animal & Human Health authorities appear content with under-reporting status quo: trade issues, transparency

• Food consumption issues eg Lao PDR

Viet Nam specifics

• Agriculture 30% of GDP• Pigs (26M+) & Poultry (230M+), livestock revolution -

log phase!• 70% of population keep livestock• highAn/Hu densities & vast ‘interface’ • Ag exports non-livestock: rice, coffee, shrimp, fish; limits

on livestock exports• Animal Health Services under-investment; surveillance

system & border control limited• OIE-PVS• Real-life testing of the Vet Services – stretched to the

limit with HPAI

Viet Nam specifics

• Decentralised: DAH/RAHO v SDAH/DVS• Parallel GoVN structure: Party/PC & Line ministries• Participatory methods under-used; random sampling• Consumption habits: canine, wildlife, duck blood, bats,

rats• North & South are developing at different pace: ‘super-

marketisation’• Wildlife trade – include remote effects (ZA)• Risk perception scenario!

Viet Nam

RAHO VII

RAHO VI

RAHO V

RAHO III

RAHO I

RAHO II

RAHO IV

Ministry of Agriculture& Rural Development

(MARD)

Dept of AnimalHealth(DAH)

National Instituteof Veterinary

Research(NIVR)

Dept Livestock& Production

(DLP)

National AgricultureExtension Centre

(NAEC)

Regional AnimalHealth Centres

Provincial Provincial

District DistrictSub Dept of

Animal Health(SDAH)

District VeterinaryStation(DVS)

Sub-NIVR(Nha Trang)

Commune

EcoZD: Overview

‘EcoHealth Approaches to the Better Management of Zoonotic Emerging Infectious Diseases in the Southeast Asia Region’

Increase the knowledge, skills and capacity of research and infectious disease control personnel in Southeast Asia to understand the risks and impacts of Emerging Infectious Diseases and how feasible options can best be implemented and adapted;

‘Learning by Doing’ approach 2008 – 2012; extended to Aug 2013 (5½ years) 6 countries in SE Asia region;

Cambodia, China (Yunnan), Laos, Viet Nam, Indonesia, Thailand

One of IDRC’s EcoHealth initiatives in SE Asia: APAIR/APEIR, EcoEID, BECA, FBLI

conception as per VIZIONS!

EcoHealth v OneHealth

• Definitions open to debate: range from quite rigid to very flexible!

• One-Health – biomedical focus: human + animal + wildlife;

• EcoHealth: environment & socio-economic aspects – pioneered outside ‘traditional’ health

• Personal opinion: OneHealth more theoretical, conceptual; EcoHealth more tangible?

• Maybe it’s not so important … which ‘cola’

EcoZD: Components

Country Teams choices for research:Cambodia: zoonotic risks for acute dysenteryChina (Yunnan): Brucellosis (& Toxoplasmosis)Indonesia: Rabies - BaliLao PDR: pig zoonoses (& non zoonoses)Thai-Viet: hygiene in small-scale poultry slaughterhousesViet Nam: zoonoses priority ranking

‘EcoHealth’ Resource Centres:Chiang Mai UniversityUniversity of Gadjah Mada

Vietnam

Partners:•Pasteur Institute•Nong Lam University•Department of Animal HealthResearch:•Original focus priority ranking of zoonoses•initial expert opinion for priorities•determination of ‘hotspots’; cross-sectional to compare hotspot & other areas, but limited data•cross-sectional surveys in pilot areas to ascertain community priorities, challenges on how to focus

EcoZD Project Challenges

• Lingua franca• Novel approaches to holistic integrated approaches• Biomedical v Social Sciences• Case studies & publications• Issues of competing/ conflicting priorities• Too complex (2 v 3 institutions)• Priorities EZD v endemic v neglected• 2-D capacity building• Counterpart-driven – level of outputs

VIZIONS: Potential Opportunities

• One-Health at work – completed with added value & Proof of concept

• Opportunity to support post-graduate study for DAH staff

• Evidence base for prioritising animal health services

• Decrease the AnH/HuH ‘gap’ – enhanced relationship

• Enhances practical ‘preparedness’ – multi-disciplinary team dealing with unusual events to international standard

• ILRI collaboration: Livestock socio-economic issues (value chains) & country focus C/L/V/B

VIZIONS: Some of the Challenges

• HR supply & demand (compete with ODA & fire-fighting)

• Illegal trade – disincentive to participate• Sampling at markets• maintaining high-risk cohort• PC & community engagement• Random sampling should be assured • on pathogen discovery .. Why look for more

problems?

International Livestock Research InstituteBetter lives through livestock

Animal agriculture to reduce poverty, hunger and environmental degradation in developing countries

www.ilri.org

e-mail: J.Gilbert@CGIAR.ORG