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Welcome to CaribVET, the website of the Caribbean Animal Health Network!
This website aims at disseminating information on the animal health situation in the Caribbean and providing useful resources for animal health professionals.
If you want to know more about the network, click on CaribVET in the menu banderol.
If you want to get an overview of the surveillance network in a country, click on Surveillance. |
| - HEALTH NEWS - |
Distribution map of Teschen disease in Haiti
The final map about the distribution of Teschovirus encephalomyelitis (previously Teschen disease) in Haiti is now available in the "technical cards" of this disease on the CaribVET website. Thank you Dr. Phanord for this information.
For more information on this disease, the presentation of Dr. Maria-Teresa Frias-Lepoureau is always available.
H1N1 in California Turkey Flock (USA)(promed)
The California Animal Health and Food Safety (CAHFS) Laboratory confirmed 2009 H1N1 influenza infection on 28 Dec 2009 in a turkey breeding flock in California's Central Valley. There had been no clinical signs of illness in the flock other than a decrease in egg production. See promed post of the 08-JAN-2010.
In the United States, turkeys have previously tested positive for the H1N1 virus in Virginia. They have also tested positive in Canada and Chile. Recent attempts to experimentally infect turkeys with the pandemic influenza virus strain carried out in Europe and the USA have been unsuccessful. Preliminary results of one of these studies have shown a certain susceptibility of quails to the pandemic influenza virus. So far, natural infection of turkeys with the pandemic influenza virus is believed to have most likely occurred by airborne virus transmission from infected humans to turkeys.
For more information, see the site EUROPA and the page H1N1 on this website. .
See recommendations of OIE and FAO.
See the map of cases on the website of EMPRES.
Bovine tuberculosis in South Dakota (USA) (Promed)
A Yankton County cattle herd has been found positive for bovine tuberculosis after a 3-year-old cow from the herd was confirmed to be infected with the disease. See promed post of the 7-JAN-2010.
Bovine tuberculosis limits livestock production, and affects their quality. The etiological agent, Mycobacterium bovis, is transmitted to humans through contaminated milk and dairy products, being the source of primary tuberculosis in children and infants (mainly extra pulmonary forms: milliary, meningeal, or lymphatic nodes- localized). The respiratory route is the transmission origin of pulmonary TB cases in exposed adults, like slaughterhouse and meat processing industry workers.
For more information, click here.
Currently in USA, California and Minnesota are not cattle TB-free, and areas in Michigan and New Mexico have specified zones that are not TB-free. Cases were detected in cattle in Texas, Nebraska and in deer in Indiana in 2009 too.
Bovine tuberculosis exists in most of the countries in the Latin American Region (LAC), with variable relevance and especially concentrated in dairy cattle. Control and surveillance activities are performed in all LAC countries; and several of these are already achieving the eradication phase (Cuba , Costa Rica , Panama , Uruguay). See the site of OIE and the map of repartition.
Rabies in wildlife in Arizona (USA)(Promed)
Two persons were exposed to rabies in Arizona at the end of December 2009.
A man near Oracle was attacked by a bobcat while walking his dog 23 December 2009. 2 days later, a dead bobcat was found in a neighbor's yard. State lab officials determined the animal had rabies, according to a statement of the Pinal County Public Health Services District.
Another man was exposed to a rabid skunk near San Manuel.
See promed post of the 01-JANV-2010
11 animals submitted to the state lab by Pinal County have tested positive for the disease this year [2009]. Among the animals were the bobcat, 7 bats, and 3 skunks.
Each year, scientists from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) collect information about cases of animal and human rabies from the state health departments and publish the information in a summary report.
In 2008, 49 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico tested over 121,000 animals and reported 6,841 cases of rabies in animals and 2 human cases to CDC (Hawaii is the only state that is rabies free) : 93% of reported cases were wildlife species (mainly bats, skunks, foxes).
In this century, the number of human deaths in the United States attributed to rabies has declined from 100 or more each year to an average of 2 or 3 each year.
For more information, see the CDC site and the press article of medical news.
Rabies is widely distributed across the globe. In America, countries of Central and South America and of the Carribean region are at risk. For more information, see the website of WHO and the map of countries or areas at risk.
Influenza H1N1/2009 in swine in Carolina (USA) (Promed)
The US Department of Agriculture's National Veterinary Services Laboratory [NVSL] has confirmed the presence of the novel H1N1 2009 influenza virus in samples taken from pigs at 2 North Carolina Farms, 23th December 2009. Pigs presented signs of mild illness.
North Carolina joins Minnesota, Indiana, and Illinois with confirmed cases of novel H1N1 flu in pigs. The virus also has been identified in cats in Iowa, Oregon, and Pennsylvania; ferrets in Oregon, turkeys in Virginia, a dog in New York, and a cheetah in California. In all these cases, it appears the animals caught the virus from humans.
See promed post of the 28-DEC-2009
So far, no evidence has suggested that animals play any particular role in the epidemiology or the spread of the pandemic H1N1 2009 virus among humans. Instead, investigations led by competent national authorities point to possible humantoanimal transmission in most cases. For this reason, the OIE considers that it is sufficient to certify the healthy state of animals for international trade during the relevant period before their exportation and maintains its position that no specific measures, including laboratory tests, are required for international trade in live pigs and other susceptible animal species and/or their products (see the press release of the 4 November 2009 by OIE).
Experimental data on pig infections with this strain indicate that infection is localised to respiratory tract (see the website of USDA). So People cannot contract H1N1 from consuming pork or pork products, according to the WHO/OIE/FAO and CDC.
For more information, see recommendations of OIE and FAO.
See the page on this website.
See the map of cases on the website of EMPRES.
Eastern Equine Encephalomyelitis in Venezuela (notification to the OIE)
The virus encephalomyelitis eastern equine has been detected in two horses died November 15.
For more information, see the notification report of the OIE.
The viruses that cause these diseases have many hosts (birds, rodents) which promotes their retention in nature and are transmitted by mosquitoes. Horses and men can be achieved but they are dead-end hosts (no possibility of transmission of viruses). Most cases occurred mainly in the wet season when the vector multiply.
For more information, see the document of the USDA
West Nile outbreaks in Costa Rica (notification to the OIE)
Three outbreaks of West Nile have been detected in Costa Rica in the Guanacaste district between 2 and November 16. Three horses died and another has presented clinical symptoms.
See the OIE notification report for more details.
The West Nile virus circulating in wild birds and are transmitted by mosquitoes. Occasionally, they can affect horses and humans, causing flu-like symptoms or encephalomyelitis.
For more information, see the proposed monograph on this site or updated information on the CDC website.
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| - EVENTS - |
First Newsletter 2010
Dear colleagues,
The first newsletter of 2010 is now available here.
It provide you the events and the programme meetings and trainings of the differents working groups and other partners for the year 2010.
Earthquake in Haiti
All CaribVET members give their full support to their Haitian partners after the earthquake that occurred in the island.
First training/exercise on tracking outbreaks of swine diseases in the Dominican Republic
2 to 4 December 2009
It was conducted from 2 to 4 December 2009, the first training/exercise on tracking outbreaks of swine diseases in the Dominican Republic, organized by the control and eradication of CSF program in DR, USDA-APHIS, IICA and the VEP project.
This training took place in the province of San Francisco de Macorís in the northeast region of the country, it involved all the regional veterinary officers working in different animal health programs, where implemented what they learned about research disease outbreaks and monitoring of cases.
This was a great experience for the participants and organizers to work together and achieve unify criteria in conducting epidemiological research on animal diseases.
Dr. Wendy M. Gonzalez
For more information, see the "regional activities" part in this website
New information by OIE :
Simulation exercise: Classical swine fever in Costa Rica
The simulation exercise to Guatemala, described in the previous article, is now expected in Costa Rica.
Information is available on the website of the OIE here
New information by OIE :
Simulation exercise: Classical swine fever in Guatemala
Dr Oscar Miguel Angel Azañon Robles, Head of Animal Health, Standarts and Regulations Unit of Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food of Guatemala, informed the OIE that a simulation exercise on the eradication of an outbreak of classical swine fever (CSF) in the country including the sanitary measures to be applied, will take place from 19 to 21 November 2009.
This exercise will be organised as part of the course for private veterinarians who wish to be accredited, within the framework of the self-declaration of the country as CSF free country.
In coordination with the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food authorities, producers, the College of veterinarians and zootechnicians, the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Zootechny, the Department of Agriculture of the United States of America and the corporation of veterinarians specialists for swine of Guatemala.
Animal Health Information Department
World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE)
This information is accessible on the OIE website here
More information : Classical swine fever
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