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 seventh meeting, held 11-13 November 2013, Bangkok, Thailand. The report discusses emerging disease problems and regional response including to:

• Finfish diseases: Edwardsiella ictaluri, Aeromonas hydrophila, viral nervous necrosis, iridovirus, Streptococcus iniea, Vibrio spp., Tenacibaculum sp.
• Crustacean diseases: Whitespot syndrome virus, yellowhead virus, infectious myonecrosis virus, taura syndrome virus, infectious hypodermal and haematopoietic necrosis virus, abdominal segment deformity disease, Laem-Singh virus, hepatopancreatic parvovirus, monodon baculovirus, acute hepatopancreatic necrosis syndrome, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei.
• Mollusc diseases: Ostreid herpesvirus, Bonamia spp., Perkinsus spp.

Other issues discussed included:

• Progress of NACA's Aquatic Animal Health Programme.
• Outcomes of the OIE General Session and Aquatic Animal Health Standards Commission meetings, 2013.
• Disease reporting, including changes to the OIE list of notifiable diseases and establishment of a global online reporting system (WAHIS) by OIE.
• Review of the Quarterly 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.
• Identification and designation of regional aquatic animal health resources, including experts, centres and reference laboratories.
• Regional and international cooperation.