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

Creative Commons Attribution.

Related

Subject tags

A collection of subject tags relating to technical matters.

In this collection

Regional Webinar on Infection with Decapod Iridescent Virus 1 (DIV1) and Preparedness for Emerging Shrimp Diseases

A Regional Webinar on Infection with Decapod Iridescent Virus 1 and Preparedness for Emerging Shrimp Diseases will be held via Zoom video conference on 10-11 September 2020. This consultation will discuss and plan actions for the prevention and management of this disease. Specific objectives are to:

  • Provide updated technological information on DIV1.
  • Advocate the strengthening of diagnostic capacities as well as active surveillance of DIV1 (to detect presence or absence of the virus).
  • Formulate recommendations on sanitary measures (including biosecurity) for disease prevention.
  • Promote emergency preparedness for emerging diseases.

Participation is open to all interested parties but registration is required.

Quarterly Aquatic Animal Disease Report, January-March 2020

The 85th edition of the Quarterly Aquatic Animal Disease Report contains information from nine governments. The foreword provides a disease advisory concerning decapod iridescent virus 1 (DIV1), an emerging threat to the shrimp industry.

China announces import measures to respond to nucleic acid positives of COVID-19 detected from the outer packaging of frozen white leg shrimp from Ecuador

Chinese Customs detected nucleic acid positives of COVID-19 on packaging containing frozen white leg shrimp produced in Ecuador on 3 July. Experts believe that the positive results do not represent infectious virus. However, in order to protect the health of consumers, the General Administration of Customs decided to suspend the registration of the relevant enterprises, suspend the import and export of the products of the relevant enterprises, and take measures such as the return of goods and destruction of goods temporarily detained.

NACA Newsletter, Vol. XXXV No. 3, July-September 2020

In this issue:

Vale Professor Sena De Silva; the State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2020; Viral covert mortality disease (VCMD): Disease card; Disease advisory: Decapod iridescent virus 1 (DIV1): An emerging threat to the shrimp industry; Infection with decapod iridescent virus 1 (DIV1): Disease card; Proceedings of the Regional Workshop on Underutilized Fish and Marine Genetic Resources and their Amelioration; Latest special issue of Gender, Technology & Development examines new learnings on women and fisheries; Development of a global information system for farmed types of aquatic genetic resources; Quarterly Aquatic Animal Disease Report, October-December 2019.

Viral covert mortality disease (VCMD): Disease card

This disease advisory describes the history, known host range, clinical signs and PCR detection methods for viral covert mortality disease (VCMD). Crustaceans currently known to be susceptible to VCMD include Penaeus vannamei, P. chinensis, P. japonicus, P. monodon, Macrobrachium rosenbergii, Procambarus clarkii, Exopalaemon carinicauda, Ocypode cordimanus, Diogenes edwardsii, Corophium sinense, Parathemisto gaudichaud and Tubuca arcuate. Fish species including Mugilogobius abei, Carassius auratus, and Paralichthys olivaceus may also be susceptible to the virus.

Quarterly Aquatic Animal Disease Report, October-December 2019

The 84th edition of the Quarterly Aquatic Animal Disease Report contains information from eleven governments. The foreword discusses meetings of the ad hoc Steering Committee of the Regional Collaboration Framework on Aquatic Animal Health in Asia and the Pacific.

Infection with decapod iridescent virus 1 (DIV1): Disease card

Infection with DIV1 is an emerging disease in farmed Cherax quadricarinatus and Penaeus vannamei suffering a high mortality. This disease card provides information on signs of disease at pond and animal level (levels I - III diagnoses), the disease agent, known host range and distribution in the Asia-Pacific region, molecular diagnostic methods and provides key expert contact points.

Aquaculture Asia Magazine, April-June 2020

In this issue:

Potential new species in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: Sabaki tilapia (Oreochromis spilurus); Role of fish & fisheries in national nutrition of Pakistan; Success story of first fish farmer in India to be awarded ‘Padma Shri’; Insights into the fishing gear and ichthyofauna of major lentic water bodies of Kashmir Valley; NACA Newsletter.

Disease advisory: Decapod Iridescent Virus 1 (DIV1): An emerging threat to the shrimp industry

This disease advisory describes the history, known host range, clinical signs and PCR detection methods for decapod iridescent virus 1 (DIV1). Preventative strategies are suggested. Currently known susceptible species of DIV1 include Penaeus vannamei, Macrobrachium rosenbergii, Exopalaemon carinicauda, M. nipponense, Procambarus clarkii, and Cherax quadricarinatus. Clinical signs of infected P. vannamei are not typical, including slightly reddish body, hepatopancreatic atrophy with colour fading, and empty stomach and guts.

NACA Newsletter, Vol. XXXV No. 2, April-June 2020

In this issue:

Urgent warning: Positive PCR detection results for infectious myonecrosis virus (IMNV) and decapod iridescent virus 1 (DIV1) in captured Penaeus monodon from the Indian Ocean; COVID-19 news; Urgent announcement on usefulness of the lymphoid organ (LO) as an additional prime target for diagnosis of decapod iridescent virus 1 (DIV1) in diseased P. vannamei; Fresh or frozen seafood?; Report of the Eighteenth Meeting of the Asia Regional Advisory Group on Aquatic Animal Health; COVID-19 fallout could push half a billion people into poverty in developing countries; Simple techniques double crablet production.