June 23, 2005

 

Singapore's first centre for animal and plant health
 

An eFeedLink exclusive report

 

 

The Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA) of Singapore opened the nation's first Animal & Plant Health Centre (APHC) on Jun 23. Built at a cost of SGD35 million (US$20.9 million) over three years, APHC will form an integral part of AVA's animal and plant health programme.

 

In addition to providing laboratory support for AVA's monitoring and surveillance programmes, APHC will offer to the public diagnostics, testing and consultation services on animal and plant health.

 

Possibly the first custom-made centre of its kind in Asia, APHC boasts a bio-safety level 3 disease-containment facility that handles highly infectious and exotic animal pathogens. It also maintains a flock of specific pathogen-free chickens and eggs for laboratory use.

 

APHC's state-of-the-art facilities, which include bacteriology, virology and veteri-pathology labs, have the capability to speed up advanced diagnostic tests. For example, the presence of Influenza A group antigens in poultry can be detected within two hours.

 

So far, the centre has conducted nearly 160,000 tests on over 8,000 animal and plant samples obtained locally and overseas. It is hoped that the centre's internationally recognised standards will boost Singapore's animal and plant export trade-worth an estimated SGD$1.5 billion (US$898 million) annually-and strengthen the country's position as a transhipment hub for this trade.

 

One of APHC's main features is its isolator room, which has six isolator units that can each hold up to 10 medium-sized chickens or small animals. Each unit is equipped to conduct tests involving highly hazardous organisms-such as pathogen testing of avian flu in chickens-under tight security and without compromising on operator safety.

 

The building of the centre took three years to finish and was finally completed this year. Some of its facilities, however, had already been used to combat the avian flu risk that threatened Singapore last year.

 

The labs in the new centre were first built in 1962 from makeshift facilities-a converted garage to be exact. Even then, it was already fitted with complete veterinary diagnostic laboratory equipment for pathology, bacteriology and virology research.

 

In view of emerging pathogens like the Nipah virus and the bird flu virus, the need to expand existing biosecurity facilities finally prompted the setting up of the new centre.

 

Singapore's minister for national development, Mah Bow Tan, said that although bird flu had not entered Singapore, the country will continue to work with its neighbours to keep the disease out of the region, through the sharing of diagnostics and information.

 

For example, if Singapore is ever hit with the bird flu, it will notify its Asian neighbours quickly so that they can make preparations to combat the disease. Mah explained, "Our borders are porous and we can't totally isolate ourselves."

                                                                                         

Mah, who opened the centre, also said that the government is not resting on its laurels just because bird flu  has not hit Singapore, and will maintain "an attitude of vigilance and being prepared for the worst".                          Singapore's new APHC includes a state-of-the-art

                                                                                         pathology lab. Here, a lab personnel, donning the

Singapore currently imports 90 percent of its food. In 2002,    centre's full personal protective gear, conducts a

the country imported US$3.88 billion worth of agricultural       post-mortem investigation on a chicken carcass.

products.

 

 

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