rinderpest post-eradication: an update

Maintaining Global Freedom from Rinderpest International Meeting • 20-22 January 2016 • Rome, Italy

Rinderpest Post-Eradication: an updateRinderpest Post-Eradication: an updateGerrit Viljoen, Joint FAO/IAEA DivisionGerrit Viljoen, Joint FAO/IAEA Division

Co-ChairCo-ChairFAO-OIE Rinderpest Joint Advisory Committee (JAC)FAO-OIE Rinderpest Joint Advisory Committee (JAC)


Contents

• Background• Oversight and the JAC• Activities• Results • The future


• 2001 - Last reported case of rinderpest • 2011 - Declaration of global freedom from rinderpest• Revised OIE Code and Manual • OIE and FAO entrusted by Member Countries with oversight of post-

eradication activities• 2011 - FAO and OIE Member Countries agreed to:

– Destroy rinderpest virus containing material or store it in one of a minimum number of approved facilities

– Prohibit research involving rinderpest (unless approved by OIE and FAO)– Report annually to OIE on stocks of virus held in their country

Rinderpest activities post-eradication


What is Rinderpest Virus Containing Material?According to OIE Resolution No. 18 (2011 GS79)

Rinderpest virus containing material (RVCM) is defined as:• field and laboratory strains of RPV• vaccine strains of RPV including valid and expired vaccine stocks• tissues, sera and other clinical material from infected or suspect animals• diagnostic material containing or encoding live virus• recombinant morbilliviruses (segmented or non-segmented) containing

unique rinderpest virus nucleic acid or amino acid sequences• full length genomic material including virus RNA and cDNA copies of virus

RNA is considered to be RVCM.


Rinderpest Joint Advisory Committee (JAC)

• Convened by FAO and OIE - first meeting June 2012

• Technical advice to FAO and OIE on rinderpest post-eradication:– review and approve applications for rinderpest holding facilities– review and approve research proposals– international preparedness plan– ad hoc technical issues

• Membership is rotating on 3/4 years – need to have basis

• Twice yearly meetings

• Next meeting, 2-3 March 2016, FAO, Rome


Mandate of the JACTo advise FAO and OIE:

• On the implementation of the recommendations of the Joint FAO/OIE Committee for the Global Declaration of Rinderpest and the resolutions adopted by both organizations. More specifically:– On RVCM sequestration policy and on the approval/de-listing by FAO and

OIE of facilities that can hold RVCM including vaccine strains.– On vaccine development, production and storage policy for the purpose

of maintaining preparedness against re-emergence of rinderpest.– On the approval of requests for research involving rinderpest virus and on

the evaluation of the outcome of such research.


Mandate of the JAC-cont’d

• On the execution/implementation of periodic visits by the Animal Production and Health Section of the Joint FAO/IAEA Division or OIE and FAO designees to facilities holding RVCM, including the protocol for implementing and evaluating such visits, to ensure that storage is secure and that biosecurity and biosafety requirements are met,

• On the implementation of all post-eradication activities and relevant related subjects


Position

FAO & OIE jointly regulate all the use and storage of RVCM, and any use of RVCM requires prior permission of the two organizations- Resolution 18 (2011 GS79)

The most effective way to ensure that countries destroy or sequester (safe storage in approved high biocontainment facilities) is to advocate the benefits of doing so.

For most countries and laboratories, the advantages of destroying RVCM far outweigh any advantages of keeping it.


Activities to date

Reviewed consultancy Risk Assessment Report Developed SOPs for destruction and sequestration Developed reasons for not maintaining stocks of RVCM Developed criteria for approving facilities to hold RVCM Assessed and approved facilities to hold RVCM Developed criteria for research proposals with RVCM Approved two research proposals with RVCM Advised on the International Preparedness Plan for rinderpest including

vaccine “banks” and diagnostics.


Responsibilities of National Veterinary Authority

To destroy, under the supervision of the Veterinary Authority, RVCM or

assure the storage or use of these materials in a biosecure facility in their country or, where applicable, assure the safe transfer to an approved laboratory in another country in agreement with the Veterinary Authority of the receiving country and complying with the standards of the OIE Manual of Diagnostic Tests and Vaccines for Terrestrial Animals and the Guidelines elaborated by the Joint FAO/OIE Committee on Global Rinderpest Eradication.

Resolution 18 (2011 GS79)


Virus Destruction and Sequestration

FAO questionnaires on status of rinderpest in laboratories in 2010 & 2011

44 laboratories in 35 countries storing virus, some under insufficient conditions of biosecurity

Fournie, G., Beauvais, W., Jones, B.A., Lubroth, J., Ambrosini, F., Njeumi, F., Cameron, A and Pfeiffer, D. (2013) Rinderpest virus sequestration and use in posteradication era. Emerging and Infectious Diseases 19: 151-153


Virus Destruction and SequestrationOIE Member Countries reporting on RVCM – 2014 (100% reporting)


2013 2014

Number of COUNTRIES holding RPV-containing material 23 24

Number of INSTITUTES holding RPV-containing material 28 27

Number of COUNTRIES that destroyed some RPV 4 5

Countries indicated intention to destroy some RPV 3 3Countries indicated intention to transfer RPV to an approved rinderpest holding facility 5 4

Countries requesting advice with destruction or to transfer RPV 4 3Number of countries performed some research or manipulation of RPV without OIE-FAO approval 1 3

OIE Member Countries participated in the survey at least once 100%

Annual OIE rinderpest report : To monitor progress with destruction and sequestration of Rinderpest virus (RPV)


FAO-OIE Rinderpest Holding Facilities

• A minimum number of approved facilities to store vaccine and virus– Greater number of facilities = Greater risk

• Must meet a specific mandate, including– Store material safely and securely on behalf of international community – Report to OIE and FAO annually

• Facility categories:– Category A: storing rinderpest virus– Category B: storing vaccine

• Approval and Conditions– For OIE, approved by passing of a Resolution– FAO approval following a Director General’s Bulletin and notification to

membership– Re-evaluated after 3 years– Can be suspended if not meeting mandate


Procedure for approval of facilities

• Based on – review of applications submitted to the JAC

• Supporting documents:– Letter of support from government– Biocontainment certificate– Biosafety manual– Country contingency plan– Staff credentials

– site inspections to the facilities

• Approved in 2015– Five facilities (in 4 countries) approved at OIE General Session as per

Resolution 25 (2015 GS83)– Official designation letters to be signed by FAO, OIE and the Institute


Approved Research

• JAC reviews research proposals and makes a recommendation to FAO and OIE based on their positive contribution to one or more of the following criteria: – food security,– human and animal health– maintaining global freedom from rinderpest

• Two projects approved– to assess whether PPR vaccines protect against rinderpest infection– to genetically sequence and subsequently destroy all remaining stocks of RVCM


FAO Support to Maintaining Global Freedom from Rinderpest

• Raise regional institutional awareness and compliance to destroy and sequestrate RPV stocks: – Regional Meeting for Africa, Sharm al Sheikh, August 2015

• 5 countries agreed to destroy or sequester their RVCM– International Meeting of all other countries, FAO, Rome, Jan 2016

• Reducing virus stocks: – provide in-country assistance and technical consultation to destroy and sequestrate RVCM

stocks; three countries in Africa, 2015-2016

• Raise public and community awareness: – for government staff, livestock owners, animal health professionals

and wildlife managers• in at least 10 countries in 2015-2016

• Develop a computer simulation model of the spread and impact of rinderpest following an escape of virus from a laboratory

• Improved disease surveillance systems at national, regional and global levels:– to detect and report any emergence of rinderpest


The Importance of Oversight

• Accidents happen– The last case of smallpox was after eradication – a laboratory accident in 1978– Viable variola samples discovered at US FDA, in 2014

• “the risk of an animal accidentally becoming infected with rinderpest virus originating from a laboratory cannot be considered negligible, and must be highly uncertain” – Beauvais, W., et al. 2013. Preventive Veterinary Medicine 112: 248-256


A Bigger Picture• Smallpox repositories

– Only 2– Both report annually to WHO

• Other diseases will be eradicated– Polio; Peste des petit ruminants– How many different repositories are advisable?

• Eradicated diseases are a special hazard– OIE, FAO, WHO and Member States must develop the way to contain

them


Thank you

rinderpest post-eradication: an update

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