Simulation exercise: African swine fever in Guatemala

Dr David Rene Orellana Salguero, Director of Animal Health, Vice Ministry of Agricultural Health, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food of Guatemala, informed the OIE that a field simulation exercise on African swine fever (ASF) will take place at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Zootechnics (FMVZ) of the University of San Carlos de Guatemala (USAC) from 7 to 10 October 2019 in Guatemala City.

This will be a Regional simulation exercise and will involve the collaboration of the Regional International Organization for Plant Protection and Animal Health (OIRSA*) as well as the Regional Reference Laboratory for Animal Health (LARRSA).

The aim of this regional simulation exercise is to test the alert capacity and organization of national and regional veterinary services for an immediate response when facing the presence of exotic animal diseases, such as African swine fever.

This regional simulation exercise will include the participation of the Delegates of Belize, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama.

It will focus on a potential outbreak of the disease in a highly technical farm and will be coordinated and led by OIRSA. Participants from the Central America and Caribbean Region will take part in this exercise as well as international observers.

The objectives sought by this regional simulation exercise are:

1. Strengthen knowledge and skills with a view to improving the response capacity of national veterinary services when facing an emergency due to a potential incursion of the ASF virus into the Americas.
2. Identify skilled human resources for the implementation of a regional rapid response group.
3. Facilitate, during the simulation exercise, relationships between participants from countries attending, as part of their future collaboration.
4. Validate the OIRSA General Manual for Emergency Management.

_{(*) Organismo lnternacional Regional de Sanidad Agropecuaria}

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