The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the Department of Livestock and Fisheries, and the Wildlife Conservation Society Laos programme (WCS) announced the conclusion of the development phase for the Lao PDR’s national wildlife health surveillance network and standard operating procedure, developed under the WildHealthNet initiative funded by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) of the United States of America.
A ceremony dedicated to the transition took place on Jun 9 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Vientiane with project stakeholders from government, NGOs, protected areas, and laboratories in attendance.
In 2019, WCS and government partners began piloting the WildHealthNet surveillance system, building on previous One Health efforts in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia.
This regional initiative supported national governments to build and operationalise national wildlife health surveillance networks, with a particular focus on monitoring disease and mortality of wildlife in and around protected areas.
The Lao PDR’s newly established network for wildlife health surveillance connects people who encounter wildlife, including rangers, villagers, and staff at animal rescue centers, with scientists, decision-makers, and stakeholders who can take action to analyze disease threats and try to prevent their spread.
Emphasis was placed on integrating these strategies with existing national policies in order to improve effectiveness and sustainability. This work is paramount to one of WCS’ and the Government of the Lao PDR’s core strategies to protect the country’s wildlife and prevent pandemics at source, as health monitoring allows identification of on-going or emerging threats to wildlife and their habitats.
Following on this successful pilot project, Lao PDR will continue to scale up and expand this wildlife health surveillance network across the country. The increased national capacity for wildlife disease surveillance and response achieved through this initiative will support the Government of Laos in reaching their strategic objectives to combat the threat of emerging infectious diseases on public health, biodiversity, and regional development and stability.
Source: Lao News Agnecy