After the declaration of the global eradication of rinderpest in 2011, the World Assembly of OIE Delegates asked that FAO and the OIE establish and maintain a single global inventory of all existing rinderpest-virus-containing materials (RVCMs), including vaccine stocks, and the facilities holding such stocks, as well as any movement of RVCMs [1].

OIE annual survey 2013 to 2016

Since 2013, the OIE has conducted an annual survey on RVCMs among its Members, to track efforts to sequester or destroy rinderpest virus held in laboratories, pharmaceutical companies, research institutes and universities. Moreover, since the designation of the five rinderpest holding facilities (RHFs) in 2015, these facilities also report annually to FAO and the OIE on their activities, inventories, approved research projects, etc.

Even though reporting has been consistently carried out each year, there is no actual established mechanism to store these data, facilitate their processing and allow for real-time updates.

The rinderpest virus-tracking-system project began in June 2017

Moving forward

In that regard, and as a result of generous funding from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (USA), the OIE released a call for tender to find a suitable IT partner who could develop a Web-based system for RHFs to report on changes in their inventory in real time, share information among facilities, process data and facilitate the management of such information. At the same time, the successful candidate (the Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, United Kingdom) will modernise the Electronic Rinderpest Reporting System. This system was originally developed in-house by the OIE and used by Members to submit their annual report on RVCMs.

The rinderpest virus-tracking-system project began in June 2017 and it is hoped that it will be implemented by April 2018. If all goes well, OIE Members will benefit from it in the next reporting season.

http://dx.doi.org/10.20506/bull.2018.1.2775