Report of the first meeting of the Asia Regional Advisory Group on Aquatic Animal Health, 6-8 November 2002

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.