Livelihoods @ risk in a FASTer world

In recent years, Foot-and-mouth And Similar Transboundary animal diseases (FAST) have made frequent and unprecedented inter-continental and inter-regional incursions that have not always been contained. This has affected the livelihoods of millions of livestock keepers and placed new demands on those working in public and private delivery of animal health services.

How have the approaches and tools adapted to these events? What is being done to better forecast FAST disease spread, to target surveillance and control measures, and to communicate risks? How can livestock business and livelihoods be protected – and maintained, at every level, in regions coping with persistence of FAST diseases, or frequent re-introductions? How can we better integrate this intelligence into national, regional and even farm-level biosecurity and risk mitigation actions, given the economic climate and environmental drivers for movements of animals and animal products from regions affected by FAST diseases?

In December 2020, we organized an online OS20 Special Edition conducted in virtual format in December 2020. It was also be the chance to mark the foundation of the Commission whose constitution was approved on the 11th December 1953 with the first countries joining the Commission during the following weeks.

The OS20 was organized in virtual sessions focused on animal mobility for FAST risk mapping, addressing risk change and forecast, vaccine security and critical resources for emergency management, and resilience to long-term FAST crises. The focus remain on FMD, but similar TADs were also considered (so called FAST diseases: Foot and Mouth Disease, Peste des Petits Ruminants, Sheep and Goat Pox, Lumpy Skin Disease, Rift Valley Fever, Bovine Ephemeral Fever). Furthermore, there is so much to learn from COVID for FAST disease management – and from each other, on how to work efficiently without travel and on biosecurity and behaviour change – that is relevant to discuss. For each session, keynote presentations and short pre-recorded interventions was proposed. A space for e-posters was made available.

Following the Open Session, workshops were also organized in January to reflect, discuss and work on the conference outcomes and a final closure day will be organized on February to share the conclusions of the OS20