DILI, 25 october 2021 (TATOLI)_The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) launches a new global information system called EMPRES-i+ aimed at improving intelligence, forecasting and early warning, enabling countries to monitor the spread of disease and the risk of new outbreaks for animals.
Following the statement released in the FAO officia explained that the world must aware to new threats from animal diseases, with COVID-19 underlining the need for greater vigilance.
“We need to prioritize and strengthen the animal health sector, A strong international and national animal health system is a key to preventing disease, ensuring safe and nutritious food, and protecting the interests of farmers,” said FAO QU Director General Dongyu at the launch of the EMPRES-i+ system.
Today’s globalized and highly connected world allows for the rapid spread of disease across borders. In this context, disease intelligence systems need to be much more efficient at capturing big data, much more sensitive to detecting unusual events, and have the ability to share information quickly.
The new web-based system will better support countries in identifying and reducing serious animal disease threats. EMPRES-i+ replaces the previous version, EMPRES-i, which was first launched in 2004 and has been widely used by hundreds of stakeholders from local communities to global development partners. Enhanced platform features include, firstly, a cloud-based platform with the ability to link to other data platforms from the public health, animal health and environmental sectors.
This will help users to easily access data from other sectors, and use the information they need for further analysis. Both advanced data analytics for users to easily identify disease events and trends. In addition, it will also help countries to plan their disease control approaches and target interventions.
The three early warning functions are to enable countries to monitor the spread of disease and the risk of new outbreaks. From this function, countries will be able to prepare for possible disease outbreaks early on.
FAO considers animal health to be critical to food and nutrition security and to achieving many of the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly those related to increasing production, eradicating poverty, ending hunger and ensuring healthy lives for all.
Its work on animal health is part of an integrated One Health approach that focuses on managing risk at the interface between animals, humans and plants.
Among the major animal diseases currently threatening food security and livelihoods, is African Swine Fever, which, according to the Asian Development Bank, has caused losses in the region of between $55 billion and $130 billion, and has recently reached the Americas. The FAO Director General linked the importance of launching a new system highlighting how the power of information technology can be harnessed for the purposes of production, nutrition, the environment and a better life for all, leaving no one behind.
“The new EMPRES-i+ underscores the value of early warning information systems to improve lives and livelihoods. But this can only be achieved through collective information sharing and early action,” he said
TATOLI
