Simulation exercise: Collective food poisoning in Côte d’Ivoire

28 March to 06 April 2022

Dr. KALLO Vessaly, Director of Veterinary Services and Delegate to WOAH, informed WOAH that the Direction of Veterinary Services of Côte d’Ivoire organised a national simulation exercise for the rapid response to an outbreak of Collective Food Toxin Infection (CFTI). This exercise took place from 28 March to 06 April 2022, in the commune of Bingerville in the Autonomous District of Abidjan. It was part of the process of strengthening the response capacities of the Veterinary Services and all stakeholders in the face of an outbreak of collective food poisoning in Côte d’Ivoire.

More specifically, it involved:

  • Testing Côte d’Ivoire’s response capacity and multidisciplinary skills gathering.
  • Strengthen communication between those involved in the response to outbreaks of food poisoning of animal origin, in particular State entities (the Direction of Veterinary Services, the National Institute of Public Hygiene, the prefects, the Security Services, the National Laboratory for Support to Agricultural Development (LANADA), the inter-professional organisations, the media and the population.
  • Strengthen the coordination of stakeholders’ interventions in the response to a case of food-borne animal disease.
  • Clarify the roles and responsibilities of the different actors in the event of a crisis.
  • Make recommendations for closing gaps and responding effectively to a foodborne illness.

Forty professionals participated in this simulation exercise, among them: the administrative staff of the Direction of Veterinary Services, the General Directorate of Health, the Regional Directorate of National Education Abidjan 1, the National Laboratory of Support to Agricultural Development, the Veterinary Service of the Armed Forces, the Defence and Security Forces, the decentralised services, the local authorities, the inter-professions and the Technical and Financial Partners. **********************
World Animal Health Information and Analysis Department
World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH)
[email protected]