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The priority task of international collection and dissemination of information concerning diseases of animals by the OIE has three purposes: to alert countries threatened by an epizootic, to strengthen international cooperation on the control of animal diseases, and to facilitate international trade in animals and animal products. In order to improve the quantity and quality of information received, the OIE has organised seminars on the reporting of diseases of animals in most regions of the world. The authors show that these seminars have had very positive results. To achieve further progress, it is indispensable for every country to have a truly operational national system for animal health surveillance. Consequently, some technical assistance projects have been undertaken, beginning with Asia and Oceania, to examine the difficulties encountered by certain countries and to propose solutions. Activities of the various specialist commissions of the OIE have also led to improvement in the quality of information, particularly by defining, with greater precision, the concepts currently employed in connexion with diseases of animals (e.g. infection, disease, infected zone), and by standardising methods of diagnosis and of the preparation of biological products for veterinary use. Finally, a concise account is given of the development at the OIE Headquarters of an animal disease database, its mode of operation and various improvements which could be introduced to better satisfy the needs of Member Countries. |
