Main achievements of SERECU phase 1

• Coordinated regional and international inputs from AU/IBAR, FAO/GREP, OIE and IAEA to agree on standards and interpretation of data

• Identified needs and gaps in veterinary delivery systems for future interventions in rinderpest eradication and control of other transboundary diseases

• Formulation of a strategy that focuses on the proof of freedom from rinderpest, guards against resurgence and achieves OIE accreditation, which is the basis of SERECU II

• Basis for sustainable and effective coordination of the final eradication of rinderpest from its suspected last remaining foci in Africa

• Developed capacities and experiences to integrate national-level actions with regional and global actions, including setting the pace for timely and simultaneous implementation of surveys in the three Somali ecosystem countries and ensuring their adherence to operating procedures. Specifically

  • The problem of persistent antibody prevalence in specific locations in Southern Somalia has been resolved
  • Ethiopia has been recognized free from rinderpest (May 2008, 76th General Session of the World Organisation of Animal Health (OIE)), while Kenya is recognized free from disease (former OIE Pathway) and Somalia is provisionally free (former OIE pathway)
  • The OIE Terrestrial Animal Health Code chapter on rinderpest and the accompanying surveillance guidelines including the OIE Pathway have been revised to take into account the specificities of mild rinderpest