The GCRF One Health Poultry Hub presented its research findings this week at the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) Regional Workshop for Avian Disease Prevention and Control in Asia and the Pacific 2024, held in Seoul, Republic of Korea.

Dr Jung-Rok Choi, Chief Veterinary Officer of the Republic of Korea, welcomed delegates and told them that the poultry industry in the Asia Pacific region is currently worth US$17.3 billion and continues to grow. However, high pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) remains one of the key disease threats facing the industry.

In opening remarks to the workshop, Hub Director Professor Fiona Tomley highlighted the research undertaken in the Hub that brought public health, animal welfare and social science research together to help shape an interdisciplinary understanding and find cross-sectoral solutions to safe and sustainable poultry production processes.

Also on Day One of the two-day event, Professor Nicola Lewis, Hub co-investigator and Director of the Worldwide Influenza Centre at the Francis Crick Institute, gave a global and regional situational update on avian influenza.

The afternoon of Day Two was dedicated to dissemination of the Hub’s findings, with presentations by Dr Mohammed Abdus Samad (Bangladesh findings), Professor Rajib Dasgupta (India findings), Professor Ruwani Kalupuhana (Sri Lanka), Dr Pham Thi Ngoc (Vietnam), Professor Damer Blake (microbiology) and Professor Robyn Alders (policy) – and a Q&A with Professor Tomley entitled ‘How do we overcome the challenges of developing, revising and implementing national action plans for HPAI prevention and control’.

Findings from the GCRF One Health Poultry Hub will be publicly presented in research papers currently being prepared, and all data from the Hub’s work will be available in Open Access repositories following publication.

Strengthening collaboration

Working closely with the FAO of the United Nations, the WOAH is committed to a One Health approach to improve disease control measures. The WOAH World Assembly 2023 reviewed the global HPAI situation and the Global Framework for the Progressive Control of Transboundary Animal Diseases (GF-TADs) was launched on 24 May this year, with HPAI as a key focus.

In this latest meeting, the joint session with the One Health Poultry Hub will further strengthen the collaborative processes and guide the regional plans and activities for 2025-26.

As well as eight members from the One Health Poultry Hub, the meeting was attended by 22 WOAH members, 10 experts from reference laboratory laboratories and Regional Avian Disease Network and observers from academic and local governments.