Rinderpest Eradication Strategy Workshop for Southern Sudan

The Rinderpest Eradication Strategy Workshop for Southern Sudan 1-2ndAugust 2001 was organised by VSF-Belgium for the Operation Lifeline Sudan (OLS) Southern Sector Livestock Programme under the co-ordination of the Pan African Programme for the Control of Epizootics (PACE), OAUIBAR, and funded by the Community-based Animal Health and Participatory Epidemiology Unit (CAPE) of PACE. The aim of the workshop was to present the new strategy for the last stage of rinderpest eradication from Sudan to the organisations involved in livestock activities in OLS Southern Sector. Participants included representatives from OAU-IBAR PACE Programme, FAO-OLS, NGOs and counterparts from both southern and northern sectors. Presentations were made on the global status of rinderpest and strategy for eradication, the current rinderpest status of Sudan, the new rinderpest eradication strategy for Sudan, rinderpest surveillance, vaccination policy, emergency response, and raising awareness of the new strategy. The participants identified the roles and responsibilities of stakeholders in the new strategy and developed one-year action plans for its implementation. The strategy can be summarized as follows: Sudan is divided into three epidemiological zones; the provisionally free zone, the surveillance zone, and the infected zone. These zones will become effective from 1/1/02. Activities to be carried out in the infected zone are; targeted vaccination campaigns in selected communities to be completed by 30/6/02, all other mass vaccination activities to be completed by 31/12/01, intensive active and purposive surveillance, and the control of any confirmed rinderpest outbreaks. Activities to be carried out in the surveillance zone are; all mass vaccination to have ceased by 31/12/01, intensive active and purposive surveillance, and the control of any confirmed rinderpest outbreaks. Activities in the provisionally free zone are; all mass vaccination to have ceased by 31/12/01, routine surveillance, and the control of any confirmed rinderpest outbreaks. The participants raised some concerns in relation to the implementation of this strategy that included; availability of funding to implement, adequate laboratory support for surveillance, short timeframe to introduce the strategy, emergency response capacity, access and security to implement fully, and the role and remuneration of community-based animal health workers.