June 26, 2013

Last week, European and Chinese health officials gathered in Shandong, China, to discuss how China can tackle the spread of brucellosis in livestock.

The EU-China Seminar on Brucellosis Surveillance and Control, jointly hosted by the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture's (MOA) Bureau of Veterinary Service and the EU-China Trade Project (EUCTP) Office, was held in Qingdao on June 19. It was organised by the China Animal Health and Epidemiology Centre (CAHEC).

The seminar was attended by experts from the MOA, the EUCTP Office, the National Health and Family Planning Commission of China (NHFPC) and the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE)'s EU Reference Laboratory for Brucellosis.

Bruno Garin-Bastuji, head of the EU/OIE Reference Laboratory, shared the EU's experiences in controlling Brucellosis with delegates at the seminar. 

He said that in order to eradicate the disease, China would need to implement a step-by-step control plan funded by government, which should include vaccination, surveillance, culling and movement control. He added that the creation of a network of brucellosis laboratories would help efforts to prevent and control the disease.

Garin-Bastuji insisted there needs to be constant government funding, close collaboration between government departments, and support from the private sector if efforts to stamp out brucellosis were to be successful.