Foot and mouth disease risk assessment in Mongolia--local expertise to support national policy.

To address weaknesses in the current foot and mouth disease (FMD) control system and to inform the formulation of a national control strategy, Mongolia conducted two separate risk assessments, one for the Eastern region which in the past has seen re-current introductions of infection, and one for the Western region, where freedom from disease had been demonstrated over several years until FMD was re-introduced in 2013. The risk assessment was conducted in three stages: first local experts developed entry, exposure and consequence pathways during separate workshops in both regions, then data was collected, compiled and analysed, and finally, during a second workshop local experts provided risk estimations for both regions and identified recommendations for risk management. Risk estimates for each pathway were individually recorded, which ensured that views of all experts were equally represented in the risk estimation and which allowed assessing possible impact of different factors related to the background of participating local experts on risk estimates. Entry risk pathways with highest risk estimates were related to livestock movements and in the consequence assessment due to direct contacts. Uncertainty, for which disagreement between participants acted as a proxy, was high in entry pathways and in the assessment of effectiveness of control measures. The risk assessment was conducted with local experts who had no previous risk assessment experience. Through their involvement in the whole process however, they assumed a high level of ownership and despite lively discussions for some risk pathways, a high level of agreement was achieved and credible results were communicated to decision makers. Especially valuable were the derived recommendations. Through the risk assessment the local experts gained a thorough understanding of the FMD risk which resulted in sensible and realistic recommendations, which, if implemented, can lead to a sustainable strengthening of the Mongolian capacities to prevent, control and eradicate FMD. The process was underlined by extensive field data collection, which helped to address important data gaps and therefore to improve quality and reliability of findings. The Mongolian veterinary authority was very committed to the risk assessment and several recommendations have already been integrated in the revision of the national FMD strategy.

Animal and human rabies in Mongolia.

The prevalence of animal rabies differs in each area of Mongolia. Wolves (Canis lupus Linnaeus, 1758), foxes ( Vulpes vulpes Linnaeus, 1758), corsac foxes (Vulpes corsac Linnaeus, 1768) and manuls (Felis manul Pallas, 1778) are considered to be the infective wild animals in natural foci. Amongst livestock, cattle have had the most rabies cases, followed by camels, sheep, goats and horses. The peak prevalence of animal rabies occurred in the 1970s. Dundgovi Province had the highest incidence during that period. The number of rabies cases in animals decreased during the 1980s. This may have been due to a decrease in the number of wild reservoir animals and the improvement of appropriate veterinary measures. In recent years, animal rabies has prevailed in the Khangai and western provinces. The infection source of most human rabies cases is the dog. In order to minimise the incidence of human rabies, canine vaccination programmes need to be improved. This paper describes the epizootiology and epidemiology of animal and human rabies in Mongolia. It describes rabies control programmes, including diagnosis, conducted in Mongolia in an effort to control the disease.

Anthrax in animals and humans in Mongolia.

Anthrax is endemic throughout Mongolia, except in the semi-desert and desert areas of the south. The prevalence of anthrax in Mongolia had drastically decreased since the 1950s due to the use of anthrax antiserum and vaccines, but the privatisation of the animal husbandry sector and changes in the structures of the veterinary and medical delivery systems in Mongolia over the last decade have resulted in challenges for disease control. Animal and human anthrax has become an increasing problem since the mid-1990s. Human cutaneous anthrax is common in Mongolia as a result of exposure to infected animals. In this paper, the authors identify potential causes forthe increase of anthrax in Mongolia. The current prevention efforts may not be adequate. Anthrax surveillance and control must be intensified, particularly in areas of high prevalence.