OIE official 'disease-free' status
Since the early 1990s, the OIE has been given by the International Committee, composed of the Delegates of the OIE Member Countries, the responsibility of compiling a list of Member Countries or zones that are officially recognised as being free from certain diseases. For this purpose, a clearly defined and impartial procedure for declaring a Member Country free from a disease was necessary, accompanied by well-designed, science-based questionnaires.
In May 1995 a new procedure was adopted by the International Committee. Developed by the Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) and Other Epizootics Commission (now called the Scientific Commission for Animal Diseases), which is elected by the International Committee, it permitted the OIE to examine in detail dossiers submitted by the Delegates of Member Countries in support of a claim that their countries or zones within their countries could be considered free of FMD in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 2.2.10. of the Terrestrial Animal Health Code (FMD was the first disease chosen in the light of its significance for international trade).
In 1996 the first official list of OIE Member Countries or zones that were FMD free without using vaccination was published after adoption by the International Committee.
While this mechanism applied to the recognition of national FMD status, the International Committee next recognised the need to apply the procedure to rinderpest and other diseases deemed to be of priority. To date, the OIE has a specific procedure for FMD, rinderpest, contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP) and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).
Official OIE recognition of the absence of certain diseases, if the case arises, with or without the use of vaccines is essential to OIE Member Countries that engage in international trade.
Member Countries can also declare themselves free of diseases for which there is, as yet, no specific procedure for obtaining Official OIE recognition of Member Country status. In this case, they must provide the relevant epidemiological information to importing countries in proof of their position. The data provided must conform to the standard measures contained in the Terrestrial Animal Health Code, which is recognised by the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agreement) of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
