Rift Valley fever is one of the most significant zoonotic disease problems in Africa. The occurrence of the highly fatal haemorrhagic human disease syndrome, similar to Ebola and other haemorrhagic fevers, generates a degree of panic among the human populations at risk. RVF is highly contagious for humans if animals are viraemic at the time of slaughtering. In susceptible livestock populations, it is responsible for large numbers of abortions and stillbirths. However, one of RVF's greatest impacts is upon trade in livestock. Even if the disease tends to disappear after epizootics, livestock bans may last for several years, severely affecting the livelihood of pastoralists. This manual aims at helping staff from veterinary services and laboratories to recognize the disease rapidly when it occurs. It provides an overview of the disease, describes clinical signs and the most important differential diagnosis, and guides the user on how to proceed if a case of RVF is suspected.

Designed for veterinarians and animal health professionals, this guide to effective disease surveillance aims to reduce the socioeconomic consequences of Rift Valley fever outbreaks and prevent them where possible.

Rift Valley fever (RVF) is an arboviral disease affecting humans and livestock transmitted by mosquitoes. It is endemic to large areas of Africa, resulting in widespread abortion and neonatal mortality in livestock, and severe complications in a small but significant percentage of human cases. The range of RVF is largely determined by the distribution of suitable vector habitat and rainfall, which changes over time and as a result of climate change. In addition to which, the movement of animals and animal products for trade may lead to the spread of RVF to previously non-infected areas. This RVF Action Framework is intended to provide decision makers with guidance on the best course of action to take in response to an RVF outbreak or the risk of an outbreak, and help them develop a national action plan for this response. A coordinated One Health approach that brings together the public, animal and environmental health sectors is recommended, as is a risk-based approach that uses risk assessment and mapping to determine the appropriate measures to be taken and the locations where they are required. A country’s RVF response can be best broken down into the four phases of the epidemiological cycle: the inter-epidemic, pre-epidemic, epidemic and post-epidemic periods. Surveillance, risk assessment and capacity building, for instance, are key during the inter-epidemic period, while the focus during the post-epidemic period shifts to mitigating the disease’s impact.

Given the current worsening of the African swine fever situation worldwide, this field manual will be aimed to assist veterinarians in the prompt recognition and detection of the disease and the immediate control steps at farm level.

African swine fever (ASF) is a devastating haemorrhagic viral disease affecting domestic and wild pigs of all ages and sexes. This disease causes massive economic losses, threatens food security and trade, and presents a serious challenge for the pig production sector in affected countries. ASF also threatens the biodiversity conservation of several Asiatic wild Suidae. Since ASF was first introduced in Georgia in 2007, the disease has spread to many countries in Europe, Asia and the Pacific, and in 2021, it was detected in the Caribbean states of the Dominican Republic and Haiti, both in the Americas. In much of its Euro-Asiatic range, the African swine fever virus (ASFV) infects wild boar, which sometimes act as the main – if not the only – epidemiological reservoir of the infection, keeping it in the environment regardless of the presence of infected domestic pigs. The presence of the virus in wild boar populations is a continuous health threat for the sympatric domestic pig population, posing a challenge for veterinary and wildlife services that have had little success in attempting to eradicate infections among wildlife, especially in the absence of an effective vaccine. Finally, areas in which ASFV is detected in wild boar remain infected for at least one year after the last recorded case. This is a much longer period than that of domestic animals and puts a strain on the services involved, requiring a considerable amount of work and human and financial resources. The second edition of the handbook provides insights on surveillance and disease management in wild boar based on experiences with ASFV eradication in Belgium and Czechia, as well as other recent experiences in the prevention and control of the disease in wild boar in Europe.

Rift Valley fever (RVF) is a mosquito-borne viral animal disease which causes periodic severe epidemics, principally involving ruminant animals. As well as its severe socio-economic and public health consequences, this serious transboundary animal disease is a major constraint to international livestock trade. This manual provides information on the nature of RVF and options for its prevention, control and elimination. It outlines a suggested national RVF contingency plan, to be modified to suit the circumstances of individual countries, as well as identifying personnel, equipment and other facilities required.

The purpose of document is to provide fact based overview of ASF ecology in the Northern and Eastern European populations of wild boar and briefly describe a range of practical management and biosecurity measures or interventions, which can help stockholders in the countries experiencing large scale epidemic of this exotic disease to address the problem in a more coherent, collaborative and comprehensive way. The handbook should not be viewed as an authoritative manual providing readymade solutions on how to eradicate ASF from wild boar. The facts, observations and approaches described in the document are presented with the intention to broadly inform veterinary authorities, wildlife conservation bodies, hunting community, farmers and general public about complexity of this novel disease and the need to wisely plan and carefully coordinate any efforts aiming at its prevention and control.

Climate change is one of the most widely debated and worrisome topics of our time. As environmental changes become more prevalent, there has been evidence to suggest that there is a correlation between the environment and a substantial increase of infectious diseases and viruses around the globe. Examining the Role of Environmental Change on Emerging Infectious Diseases and Pandemics investigates the impact of climate change in relation to the emergence and spread of global diseases. Highlighting epidemiological factors and policies to govern epidemics and pandemics, this publication is a critical reference source for medical professionals, students, environmental scientists, advocates, policy makers, academics, and researchers.

In today’s world, the risk of spread of animal health diseases, within a country or across borders, is on the rise. Contributing factors include growing animal populations, increased movement of humans and animals, market intensification and global trade. Animal health services around the world play an essential role in curbing animal disease spread. They do so by increasing their capacity to manage animal health emergencies, preparing for such events during “peacetime” and reflecting on lessons learned during the “reconstruction phase”. These actions look to enhance a country’s state of operational readiness ahead of future events. Carrying out an After Action Review (AAR) of a country’s emergency response is an integral part of learning; it provides countries with the opportunity to highlight what they have done well and what gaps remain to be filled in terms of animal health emergency management. This AAR manual outlines current practices for organizational learning and how they can be applied in the context of animal health emergencies. It details the steps to perform an animal health emergency AAR and leads readers through designing, preparing, conducting and reporting on an AAR. Veterinary services and competent authorities responsible for managing the response to animal health emergencies can apply the principles discussed in this manual to AARs at the country level – or in other settings such as producer organizations, multicountry regional commissions or international organizations.

This manual provides comprehensive information and practical guidelines to assist farmers, producers and all stakeholders along the feed value chain to comply with the requirements of the Codex Alimentarius Code of Practice on Good Animal Feeding. The application of the Code is an important step for the expansion of international trade of feed and products of animal origin. Both feed/food exporting and importing countries can benefit from a greater and safer trade of feed and products of animal origins. This manual is intended to guide managers of feedmills, the feed industry as a whole and on-farm feed mixers and producers. It will also be of value to national competent authorities, in particular those engaged in feed inspection, in their supervisory roles. It can also serve as a training manual and a guide to setting up national feed associations.