Simulation exercise: African horse sickness in Italy

Prof. Romano Marabelli, Chief Veterinary Officer, Head of Department for Veterinary Public Health, Nutrition and Food Safety, Ministry of Health – Italy, informs the OIE that a field simulation exercise on African Horse Sickness (AHS) called “Febbre da cavallo – Horse Fever”, will take place on 15 and 16 December 2010 in Italy, Sardinia region, where local disease control centres will be set up.

The overall aim of this exercise, which will be conducted in conjunction with the Sardinia regional and local veterinary services, national reference laboratory for exotic diseases, regional veterinary laboratory and border inspection post, is to assess and check the national contingency plan and policies for the control and eradication of an exotic disease outbreak, with a view to detecting critical points and identifying improvements in the plan, instructions, structures and procedures.

The objectives of this simulation exercise are to:

1. demonstrate that the Authorities are taking the threat of exotic animal disease seriously and have effective policies and contingency plan in place;
2. exercise the integration and interaction between the strategic and tactical levels within the Ministry of Health, the Regional and Local veterinary services and the National Reference Laboratory to demonstrate the joined up response to an outbreak of AHS;
3. exercise the multi services response to an outbreak of AHS to have high levels of alert proportionate to the threats and losses in case of introduction of exotic diseases, both nationally and locally;  
4. exercise Animal Health’s operational model, as ‘contingency system’, in reaction to a confirmed case of AHS regionally/locally, to demonstrate increased readiness and resilience within the structure.

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Animal Health Information Department
World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE)
[email protected]