Rio de Janeiro, December 12, 2024 (PANAFTOSA/SPV-PAHO/WHO) – During 3 days, animal health laboratories of the South American Commission for the fight Against Foot-and-Month Disease (COSALFA) shared technical criteria on the diagnoses of foot-and-mouth disease in the current context of disease-free status. The eradication of this disease is part of the PAHO Elimination Initiative, led by the laboratory of the Pan American Foot-and-Mouth Disease Center and Veterinary Public Health of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), which is recognized as the reference laboratory for foot-and-mouth disease and vesicular stomatitis by the World Health Organization for Animal Health (WOAH).
The meeting, organised by PANAFTOSA, in Rio de Janeiro, was attended by representatives from 10 national laboratories of Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Brazil, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, and Uruguay.
During the discussions, priorities were identified in line with PANAFTOSA’s role in technical cooperation, such as strengthening the diagnosis of vesicular diseases by the laboratories of the countries, their training, and rapid response capabilities.
The participating countries requested PANAFTOSA’s support to reinforce and expand their quality management systems in order to strengthen their diagnostic processes, thus further demonstrating the reliability of their results. They also emphasized the need for a specific contingency plan for laboratories in preparation for and response to health emergencies.
Additionally, the participants identified the need to work under the One Health approach, integrating public health laboratories in cross-cutting competencies, such as training in sequencing, metagenomics, and phylogenetic analysis for the surveillance and control of zoonotic diseases, including those with pandemic potential, such as Avian Influenza.
Juliana Leite, from the Health Emergencies Department and the Infectious Hazards Management Unit of PAHO, highlighted the organization's role within the One Health concept to support countries in the region in preparing for and responding to health emergencies, not only through the distribution of reagents but also through technical training, safe transport of biological samples, biosafety, and biocustody.
Likewise, Ottorino Cosivi, PANAFTOSA´s Director, emphasized the importance of this meeting to gain firsthand knowledge of the priorities of the national laboratories in the region, in order to strengthen the Center's response to the needs and demands for technical cooperation provided to the laboratories of the countries.
Finally, Euclides de la Torre, Consultant in Virological Diagnosis at the PANAFTOSA laboratory, thanked the participants for their trust in the Center's work, particularly for sharing technical information from their laboratories through the questionnaire conducted prior to the meeting, which served as the basis for the discussions during the meeting.
PANAFTOSA-PAHO Laboratory
During the meeting held in Rio de Janeiro, the representatives of the national laboratories also had the opportunity to visit the PANAFTOSA headquarters and learn firsthand about the technical cooperation provided by the Center to the countries of the region through its various areas of work, as well as the activities and diagnostic kits produced by the laboratory.
The participants toured the under-construction facilities of the PANAFTOSA laboratory, whose activities are currently carried out at the laboratory in Pedro Leopoldo, Minas Gerais, but once the construction is completed, they will move to the Center's headquarters in Rio de Janeiro.
