FMD & PPR animal diseases threat to livelihoods, food security

FMD & PPR animal diseases present in the Central Punjab and in the other cattle markets of the country are a constant threat to the livelihoods and food security of the about 35 millions families of farmers and the general public of the region but also a potential threat of banning the exports of animals and animal products of worth $1.3 billion to the middle east and the European Union.
This was according to the Research paper written by Professor Dr M. Athar Khan and Research fellow Dr Muhammad Akram of the Department of Epidemiology & Veterinary Public Health University of Veterinary & Animal Sciences (UVAS) Lahore. According to the conclusion of the study these diseases are in variably present in Central Punjab and animal markets in the country are one of the major means of spread of these diseases across the country.
It was also concluded that participatory disease surveillance technique and data should be available to the animal owners who had traditional knowledge will be able to detect the presence of the infectious diseases in Punjab. The research paper suggests the measures, which should be taken by the policy makers include an independent National Epidemiology & Surveillance Unit along with effective sub-national units should be established manned with epidemiologist, data analyst, statistician, Veterinarian, microbiologist and entomologists etc for proper disease risk analysis, early detection and response of infectious disease on regular basis instead of following reactive policy after the infection has already occurred.
It suggests that National and sub-national laboratories should be harmonised in terms of standard operating procedures (SOPs) and they should be strengthened in terms of equipments, professionals and capacity building. It also suggests that Both National Epidemiology Unit and laboratories should be integrated for information sharing for effective surveillance of animal diseases adding that private veterinary services should be integrated with the public veterinary services to improve the disease reporting system for effective but informed policy decisions and actions.