The Asia Regional Advisory Group on Aquatic Animal Health meets annually to discuss regional disease issues including emerging disease threats. This is the report of the first meeting, held 6-8 November 2002 in Bangkok, Thailand. The report discusses emerging disease problems and regional response to:

• Finfish diseases: Outbreaks of spring viraemia of carp, koi herpes virus, red spot disease in grass carp, viral nervous necrosis in groupers.
• Mollusc diseases: Mikrocytos mackini in Pacific oysters Crassostrea gigas, Haplosporidium nelsoni in American oysters C. virginica.
• Crustacean diseases: Taura syndrome virus, infectious hypodermal and haematopoietic necrosis virus, Mourylian virus, loose shell syndrome, mid crop mortality and Haplosporidium infection affecting Penaeus monodon and P. vannamei.

Other issues discussed include:

• Changes to the Quarterly Aquatic Animal Disease List, which underpins the Asia regional aquatic animal disease reporting system.
• Progress in implementation of the the Regional Technical Guidelines on Health management for the Responsible Movement of Live Aquatic Animals and development of national strategies for aquatic animal health.
• Aquatic animal health surveillance and zoning.
• Import risk analysis.
• Development of a disease information and reporting system.
• Establishment of a network of regional aquatic animal health resource centres, reference laboratories and experts.
• Aquatic animal disease emergency response.
• Regional and international cooperation.