Sudan is free of rinderpest – OIE
May 31, 2008 (PARIS) — The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) delivered a certificate to the Sudanese government recognising that the country is free of rinderpest.
The OIE granted 13 new national free statuses on rinderpest. The organisation reiterated the objective, shared with the FAO, to declare the world free of rinderpest in the short term.
The official OIE recognition was delivered to the Sudanese delegation during the 76th Annual General Session of the International Committee of the World Organisation for Animal Health held in Paris, on Friday May 30.
Bashir Taha Mohamed Taha, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Livestock headed the Sudanese delegation. Around 600 participants representing the 172 OIE Member Countries and Territories, intergovernmental (FAO, WHO, World Bank, WTO etc.), regional and national organisations took part in the annual session.
Taha said that this recognition is the culmination of great efforts made by the veterinary services in order to fight this disease in the country. The Sudanese Ministry of Animal Resources and Fisheries implemented since 2002 a plan to eradicate the bovine rinderpest.
Sudan has become one of the 81 countries in the world got the certificate.
In a report presented to the OIE meeting the Sudanese delegation further underlined that the country is free from the avian influenza pandemic, since September 2006.
Taha said this good sanitary status would open a wide field for the export of cattle. Sudan is an exporter country of animals to different countries among others Egypt, Libya, Saudi Arabia and Gulf countries.
The OIE International Committee meeting, which lasted from 25 to 30 May, stressed the strong link existing between the fight against hunger around the world and the fight against animal diseases in particular developing countries and consequently between food security and animal health.
(ST)