Bonn/Rome, 8 July 2011
- Emerging infectious diseases are appearing
worldwide and pose an increasing threat
to wildlife, livestock and people. They
consist mainly of viruses and bacteria that
have increased their capacity to trigger
disease, allowing them to appear in new
hosts in different
parts of the world.
Changing ecological,
agricultural, and climatic conditions have
the potential to increase health risks to
wildlife, livestock and people through the
infectiousness of germs, which cross into
new species.
In order to combat this
increasing threat, the United Nations Environment
Programme Convention on the Conservation
of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (UNEP/CMS)
and the Food and Agriculture Organization
of the United Nations (FAO) - Animal Health
Service have convened a Scientific Task
Force on Wildlife Diseases to seek an integrated
approach to manage the health of ecosystems,
wildlife, livestock and people within a
'One Health' framework.
At the meeting in Beijing,
China, which took place at the end of June,
UN agencies, professional associations,
research organizations, including the Max
Planck Institute for Ornithology, and governmental
bodies from Australia, Mongolia and the
United States agreed to enhance research
on diseases that have an impact on both
domestic and migratory wildlife, and that
are of greatest concern with regard to food
security, sustainable livelihoods and conservation.
The 'One Health' approach
is a framework to address the wildlife/livestock/human
disease interface, integrating different
disciplines and involving United Nations
agencies, governments, conservationists,
health professionals and professional associations.
Epidemics and pandemics
affecting domestic livestock, migratory
animals and people occur increasingly frequently,
which makes it necessary to place diseases
in the broader context of development, food
security, natural resource management and
ecosystem services to achieve wildlife and
ecosystem health.
The understanding of
migration ecology is therefore key to prevent
and address the spread of disease and to
provide early warning systems. Some migratory
species can be excellent indicators in this
respect.
The emergence of H5N1
highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI)
resulted in the deaths of hundreds of people,
caused millions of dollars of damage to
trade and local livelihoods, led to the
deaths of hundreds of millions of domestic
poultry, while at the same time killed tens
of thousands of wild birds, including 6,000
wild waterbirds, during a major outbreak
at Qinghai Lake in China in April-July 2005.
The influenza pandemic
of 2009, commonly known as 'swine flu',
consisted of virus strains from people,
pigs and birds that threatened both animals
and humans. Spreading rapidly and affecting
global economies, it required emergency
planning with a coordinated and collaborative
international response.
In May 2010 the critically
endangered Saiga antelope suffered mass
mortalities of 12,000 animals due to the
infectious disease pasteurellosis. It shows
how important it is to have in place emergency
mechanisms to provide an adequate response.
Another example occurred
in October 2010 when Mongolian gazelles
were infected with foot-and-mouth disease
with outbreaks in both livestock and wildlife
in Mongolia. In addition this outbreak had
significant effects on livelihoods and trade.
Migratory species can
act as natural reservoirs for disease and
help spread the pathogens during their seasonal
movements. At the same time they can be
victims of disease due to their close proximity
and interactions with livestock and people.
The Scientific Task
Force on Wildlife Diseases is modeled after
the Task Force on Avian Influenza and Wild
Birds established in 2005, which was highly
successful in providing a voice for the
wildlife with technical papers and recommendations
on how to cope with avian influenza.
The Scientific Task
Force on Wildlife Diseases will work on
identifying diseases that have an impact
on both domestic and migratory wildlife
with major implications for food security,
sustainable livelihoods and conservation;
and finding ways to bridge the gaps between
wildlife managers and health practitioners.
The Task Force's 'One
Health' approach will promote information
sharing among government sectors, wildlife
managers, non-governmental organizations
(NGOs) and relevant United Nations agencies
such as UNEP, FAO, the World Health Organization
(WHO), the United Nations Educational, scientific
and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the
United Nartions Children's Fund (UNICEF)
and the United Nations High Commission for
Refugees (UNHCR).
A mechanism will be
created for CMS and FAO member states to
respond to the threat of transboundary animal
health crises by reporting wildlife morbidity
and mortality events.
The outputs of this
workshop and results of priority action
will be summarized in a report to be presented
at the next CMS Conference of the Parties
to be held 20-25 November 2011 in Bergen,
Norway.
Notes to editors:
CMS
The Convention on the
Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild
Animals (UNEP/CMS) works for the conservation
of a wide array of endangered migratory
animals worldwide
through the negotiation
and implementation of agreements and action
plans. CMS is a growing convention with
special importance due to its expertise
in the field of migratory species. At present,
116 countries are parties to the Convention.
www.cms.int
FAO-EMPRES
The Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO) of the United Nations
works internationally to combat hunger and
serve as an information resource. The Emergency
Prevention System (EMPRES) was created by
FAO to prevent disease spread and ensure
greater livestock health at a global level.
The Wildlife Health and Ecology Unit was
created to investigate the role of wildlife
in the spread of diseases affecting livestock
and agricultural livelihoods. The group
serves the international community through
publications, workshops, training events,
and many other projects.
www.fao.org
