Health and Biosecurity

The Health and Biosecurity Programme assists members to reduce the risks of aquatic animal disease impacting the livelihoods of farmers, national economies, trade, environment and human health by:

  • Improving regional cooperation in aquatic animal health and welfare.
  • Developing and implementing national strategies on aquatic animal health.
  • Improving surveillance, reporting and response to disease emergencies.
  • Promoting harmonisation of diagnostic procedures and risk assessment.
  • Widespread promotion of better aquatic animal health management practices at the farm level.

Key activities

Key activities of the programme include:

  • Convening the annual meeting of the Asia Regional Advisory Group on Aquatic Animal Health, coordinating the Quarterly Aquatic Animal Disease Report and bringing regional issues to the attention of global standard setting bodies such as the Office International des Epizooties.
  • Establishment and expansion of a three-tier shared resource in aquatic animal health.
  • Development of farm-level health management tools for key aquaculture commodities.
  • Supporting regional disease surveillance and reporting.
  • Strengthening aquatic animal health and biosecurity in the region.
  • Facilitating harmonisation in disease diagnostic techniques.
  • Developing resource material in support of diagnosis and surveillance.

Contacts

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Related

Subject tags

A collection of subject tags relating to technical matters.

In this collection

Fact sheet: Tilapia lake virus (TiLV): What to know and do?

Tilapia lake virus is a newly emerging virus that is associated with significant mortalities in farmed tilapia. This fact sheet describes the threat to industry, clinical signs, diagnosis, risk factors, prevention and control options and actions that must be taken to minimise the impact of this disease on the global tilapia aquaculture industry. All countries with a tilapia industry must be vigilant and act quickly to investigate cases of mortalities in farms.

Urgent update on possible worldwide spread of tilapia lake virus (TiLV)

Recently, we released a warning of TiLV in Thailand and an improved RT-PCR detection methodology. The Fish Health Platform in Centex, BIOTEC/Mahidol University has also obtained positive test results for TiLV in other Asian countries where it has not yet been reported. Many countries have been translocating tilapia fry/fingerlings prior to and even after the description of TiLV. We have prepared a map listing countries with confirmed reports of TiLV infections and 43 other countries that we believe have imported infected fish.

Tilapia lake virus (TiLV) - a novel Orthomyxo-like virus

This disease card published by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) provides information about tilapia lake virus (TiLV), a recently observed pathogen causing significant mortalities in cultured tilapia. The disease card provides details of the pathogen, modes of transmission, host range, geographical distribution, clinical signs, diagnostic methods, socio-economic significance, transmission risk and a list of available references. We urge laboratories to test for TiLV when abnormal tilapia mortalities occur.

Quarterly Aquatic Animal Disease Report, October-December 2016

The 73rd edition of the Quarterly Aquatic Animal Disease Report contains information from 14 governments. The foreword provides information about the implementation of a National Surveillance Programme for Aquatic Animal Diseases (NSPAAD) in India.

Disease advisory: Tilapia lake virus - an emerging threat to farmed tilapia in the Asia-Pacific region

Tilapia lake virus (TiLV) is an emerging disease of cultured tilapia in the Asia-Pacific region. Originally observed and reported in Israel, Ecuador, Colombia and Egypt, TiLV is now confirmed in cultured tilapia in Thailand causing mass mortalities. At risk is here is the US$7.5 billion global industry per annum, especially among the top tilapia-producing countries in the region including China, the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Lao PDR and Bangladesh. This advisory describes signs of the disease and PCR detection methods.