Detecting the outbreak of animal diseases relies on effective disease investigation protocols and mechanisms - sample collections, transportation and laboratory diagnosis. In Indonesia, where Classical Swine Fever and Avian Influenza are endemic, and Foot and Mouth an exotic disease, effective diagnosis is vital, as demonstrated by recent outbreaks of both endemic diseases. Increasing disease surveillance capacity through a pilot program in Nusa Tengarra Timur will be undertaken. A number of farmers, extension specialists and regional government agencies, along with scientists, will be involved to develop approaches, based on each disease, of options and strategies for detection and response.
ASSESSMENT OF THE RISK OF INTRODUCTION OF FMD IN INDONESIA AND IMPROVEMENT OF EARLY DETECTION
Questionnaires have already been administered by Dr Pebi Suseno to Quarantine officers and members of the Animal Health Division to identify potential routes of introducing FMD into Indonesia. This includes both identification of geographical regions and evaluation of the likelihood of infection from legal and illegal sources of animal and animal product movement. This information together with livestock numbers has been used to identify the 10 provinces with the highest risk of having an introduction of FMD. Five villages from each province will be selected for strategic (targeted) sampling for FMD. Two workshops with Quarantine Officers and members of the DGLS were held in 2006/07 to discuss risks of FMD, the consequences of introduction and to identify deficiencies in knowledge and awareness of the disease by field staff and farmers. A presentation to the annual conference of the Indonesian Veterinary Association was made on the risks of FMD. A deficiency in current material suitable for farmers on the dangers and signs of FMD was identified and existing material will be updated during 2007/08.
SURVEILLANCE PROJECT- ALOR ISLAND
Important background information collected:
To date the Australian research team has made three trips to Alor and Kupang. There was a delay in commencing this component of the project because of workloads by staff in Kupang and Alor. During the last 10 months essential background information has been collected in relation to the role and function of the Department of Agriculture on Alor and the importance of livestock to farmers. It has become evident that although there are strong procedures in place to provide animal health services- the lack of resources, and interestingly farmer perceptions about the importance of livestock health, make providing adequate services difficult. A two-day workshop was organised on CSF and diseases of pigs in Alor and animal health workers were involved in a training session on collection of blood samples from chickens and pigs.
It is apparent that there are difficulties not only associated with the ability of remote villages to effectively contact the Agriculture Department but also with the ability of the Department to respond promptly and provide the necessary resources for a disease problem. There is also reluctance for many farmers to notify the Department of instances of disease and death in their livestock.
There has been a vaccination programme for CSF in place on Alor since 2002. The aim of this program is to vaccinate every pig on Alor yearly, in the hope of achieving eradication in the future. Unfortunately, some farmers continue to refuse the vaccination of their pigs.
Although there is no denying the importance of animals such as pigs in the culture of the people of Alor - it would seem that the farmer's main concern is the mere existence of the pig regardless of body condition and/or health. The pig functions as an asset and is traded for money to pay for such things as a child's education. It is also slaughtered for religious ceremonies, special events and parties. An issue highlighted by one of the volunteers from a farmer's NGO group we visited during one of our visits was that there is no market system in place in Alor. Farmers therefore are not motivated to produce the largest, healthiest pig for market. Animals are thus mainly only kept for private consumption or as a long term asset. Crops on the other hand provide daily returns and are probably the mainstay of the farmer's income, and as a consequence receive the most time and effort. This could have implications for the effectiveness of syndromic surveillance given that the farmers seem to pay little attention to the health of their animals and spend the majority of their day tending to their gardens and crops.
Survey
Thirty seven villages have been selected and demographic data collected. Questionnaires and instructions for the cross-sectional, cohort and socioeconomic studies have been designed. The questionnaire for the socioeconomic study has been pre-trialled and refined and the questionnaire for the cross-sectional study is currently being trialled. It is hoped that the socioeconomic and cross-sectional study will get underway shortly. The logistics associated with the cohort study and vaccine trial is currently being worked on; this aspect of the project will commence subsequent to the onset of the cross-sectional study.
In light of the background information collected, incorporated into the questionnaires, are targeted questions pertaining to identifying reasons for why farmers often fail to contact the Agricultural Department in the evident of disease or death in their livestock, and also why some often object to the routine vaccination of their pigs against CSF. Once this information has been collected it is hoped that we will be able to develop incentives aimed at improving this situation.
A framework for a national surveillance system for foot and mouth disease (FMD) in Indonesia was established at a workshop organised as part of this project and attended by staff from Government, University and Research institutions. Technical guidelines have been drafted for this surveillance. As part of the improved surveillance system a field investigation of a suspect case of FMD was investigated and samples collected and tested by the national FMD laboratory (PUSVETMA). All samples were test-negative and the results highlight the success of having a national integrated surveillance system.
Another important outcome of the work has been in relation to incentives. Villagers were asked what type of incentives would encourage them to report animal diseases and a high percentage stated that more information about diseases was necessary. They also indicated that free vaccinations and free vitamin injections would also encourage them to report to the government officials about diseases. An outcome of this research was the need to explore the decision making processes of villagers. An understanding of how decisions are made about animal disease identification and reporting will be important towards the development of a surveillance program on Alor Island and will form the basis of the upcoming years work.
A pre-trial of the questionnaires for the cross-sectional study, prospective cohort study and vaccination trial for classical swine fever (CSF) was conducted in July 2007. Active surveillance (sampling) for CSF has subsequently commenced. The cross sectional study is complete and in total 690 samples were collected. The cohort study is on-going and to date 529 samples have been collected. A field based vaccination trial of 4 commercially available CSF vaccines has also been instigated and to date 1526 samples have been collected. A valuable component of the cohort and vaccination studies has been collecting data on changes in animal numbers and animal movements over time. Knowledge of movement of animals is essential to understand disease dispersal and to design potential methods of disease control. Questionnaires have been administered to farmers involved in these studies and the results of these will aid in further understanding farmers actions and help in designing effective surveillance systems for remote areas.
The AYAD student, Michael Bragg, was located on Alor Island for 5 months in 2007 and during this time, studied 16 villages across Alor Island. This allowed a better understanding of the importance of livestock in villages on Alor and enabled Michael to successfully complete his Honours degree at the University of Western Sydney with second class honours. This analysis provided valuable insights into the importance of livestock to farmers and the day to day functioning of villages in rural Alor. Although pigs are culturally important to most villagers, it was found that they had little concern for disease in their pigs and were more concerned about their family and crops. Pigs were less important for day to day consumption in comparison to crops, as pigs were mainly eaten at cultural events.
Links:
[1] http://www.aciar.gov.au/country/Indonesia
[2] http://www.aciar.gov.au/programarea/Animal Health