OIE Global Conference on Aquatic Animal Health

Panama City, Panama

28-30 June 2011

OIE Aquatic Animal Health Standards

Barry Hill

President
OIE Aquatic Animal Health Standards Commission
Aquaculture has been experiencing a boom since
the mid-1970s, sustaining an average annual
growth rate of around 9% until a recent slight fall
back.
Today it continues to expand in almost all regions of
the world and is the fastest growing food animal
production sector globally.
There is substantial and growing international trade
in live aquatic animals and their products.
A detailed analysis of aquaculture production
and wild capture fisheries is published every
2 years by FAO.
World fish trade: export value

- in 1000 US$ (FAO) -

100,000,000

90,000,000
Developing countries
80,000,000 or areas
Developed countries
70,000,000 or areas
60,000,000

50,000,000
developing
40,000,000

30,000,000

20,000,000 developed
10,000,000

0
1976 1979 1982 1985 1988 1991 1994 1997 2000 2003 2006
However, infectious diseases are causing major
aquaculture production losses in many countries,
even having a significant negative impact on
some national economies
In some countries, the rapid increase in aquaculture
output has been based on species diversification which
has led to an increase in the demand for introduction and
transfers of live non-indigenous aquatic animals, some of
which have introduced new diseases with them.
For example, outbreaks of infectious salmon anaemia
(ISA) in Chile since 2007 have had a devastating
impact on the salmon farming industry, causing a
massive reduction in production and in export
volumes.

Economic losses of many $100 millions.

High numbers of farms closed and large numbers of

job losses.

Will take years to recover.

A national disaster.

Imported (from ??)

The main aim of OIE is to ensure the sanitary safety of
international trade in live animals and their products.

This includes providing standards and guidelines on the

health measures to be used by the Aquatic Animal
Health Services of importing and exporting countries to
prevent the transfer of agents pathogenic for aquatic
animals, while avoiding unjustified trade barriers.
Aquatic animals
The OIE standards applicable to international trade in
aquatic animals and their products are laid out in the
OIE Aquatic Animal Health Code and in the OIE
Manual of Diagnostic Tests for Aquatic Animals.
 The OIE standards and guidance in the
Aquatic Code and Aquatic Manual aim to
reduce disease risks
Developing the OIE standards for aquatic animals
is the role of the
Aquatic Animal Health Standards Commission
Aquatic Animal Health Standards Commission
(elected May 2009 for 3 years)

President:
• Dr Barry Hill (UK)
Vice-President:
• Dr Ricardo Enriquez Sais
(Chile)
General Secretary:
• Dr Franck Berthe (EFSA)
Members:
• Dr Olga Haenen (Netherlands)
• Dr Huang Jie (China)
• Dr Victor Manuel Vidal (Mexico)
 The Commission is regularly assisted by:

Don Lightner Eli Katunguka-Rwakishaya Rohana Subasinghe

USA Uganda FAO, Rome
With advances in scientific knowledge, the Aquatic
Health Standards Commission prepares draft texts for
new chapters, or revises existing chapters of the
Aquatic Code and the Aquatic Manual with the input
of internationally renowned independent experts, OIE
ad hoc groups, and expertise at the many OIE
Reference Laboratories for aquatic animal diseases.

These drafts are further refined with input from

national experts of OIE Members before being
finalised and presented to the National Delegates at
the OIE General Session in May each year for
adoption.
OIE Aquatic Animal Health Code
(‘Aquatic Code’)
Also available on-line at the OIE website
Some of the information available
in the Aquatic Code
Zoning & Guidelines for Quality of Aquatic
compartmentalisation risk analysis Animal health Services

Criteria for
Conditions for
disease freedom
trade

Surveillance for
disease
Model export
certificates
Disease reporting
obligations

Transport of
OIE listed diseases
farmed fish

Procedures for Responsible and Stunning and killing

aquatic animal prudent use of of farmed fish for
waste disposal antimicrobial agents human consumption
Contents of the Aquatic Code
General Provisions (Horizontal issues)
• User’s guide
• Glossary
• Section 1 : Animal disease diagnosis, surveillance and notification
• Section 2 : Risk analysis
• Section 3 : Quality of Aquatic Animal Health Services
• Section 4 : General recommendations : disease prevention and
control
– Zoning/compartmentalisation
– Recommendations on disinfection
– Contingency planning
– Fallowing in aquaculture
– Handling, disposal and treatment of aquatic animal waste
Contents of the Aquatic Code
General Provisions (contd)
• Section 5 : Trade measures, import/export procedures and health certification
– General obligations
– Certification procedures
– Criteria to assess safety of aquatic animal commodities
– Border posts and quarantine stations
– Model veterinary certificates…
• Section 6 : Veterinary Public Health
– Control of aquatic animal health hazards in aquatic animal feed
– Antimicrobials: prudent use/monitoring/ controlling resistance (under development)
• Section 7 : Welfare of Farmed Fish
– Transport
– Stunning and killing for human consumption
– Killing for disease control purposes (under development)
Contents of the Aquatic Code

Disease specific chapters

(OIE listed diseases - of importance to international trade)

• Section 8 : Diseases of Amphibians

• Section 9 : Diseases of Crustaceans
• Section 10 : Diseases of Fish
• Section 11 : Diseases of Molluscs
 Aquatic Code Chapter 1.2.
Criteria for Listing Aquatic Animal Diseases
Aquatic Code Chapter 1.2
Article 1.2.1.
Criteria for listing an aquatic animal disease

Article 1.2.2.
Criteria for listing an emerging aquatic
animal disease
Criteria for listing an aquatic animal disease

A disease proposed for listing should meet all

the relevant parameters set for each of the
criteria;

Parameters that support a listing include:

A. Consequences
B. Spread and
C. Diagnosis

Such proposals should be accompanied by a case

definition for the disease.
For the purposes of the Aquatic Code

An emerging disease means a newly recognised

infection resulting from the evolution or change of an
existing pathogenic agent, a known infection spreading
to a new geographical area or population, or a
previously unrecognised pathogenic agent or disease
diagnosed for the first time and which has a significant
impact on aquatic animal populations or public health.
 Chapter 1.3.
OIE list of aquatic animal diseases
The list is reviewed annually by the AAHSC and
recommendations for deletions and additions are
proposed to OIE Members for adoption

Notification and reporting requirements apply to all

listed diseases and any new emerging diseases.
26 aquatic animals diseases listed by OIE (2011)

 2 diseases of amphibians
 8 diseases of crustaceans
 9 diseases of fish
 7 disease of molluscs
OIE list of aquatic animal diseases

A key purpose of listing a disease in the Aquatic

Code is to ensure transparency of the aquatic
animal health status world-wide, by obliging Member
Countries to report its occurrence to OIE.

The OIE collates and disseminates the information

received in reports on the status of those listed
diseases in Member Countries (WAHIS and WAHID).
Obligation to notify and report
disease detection to OIE
“Disease” notification

In this context, it is important to understand that the circumstances

for regular as well as immediate notification of aquatic animal
diseases do not require the presence of clinical disease or
mortality.

The Aquatic Code clarifies in Article 1.1.2.4:

“This means that the presence of an infectious agent, even in
the absence of clinical disease, should be reported.”
OIE guidance on import requirements
 Section 5.
Trade measures, importation/exportation
procedures and health certification
General obligations related to certification
Certification procedures
Criteria to assess the safety of aquatic animal commodities
Control of aquatic animal health risks associated with transport
of aquatic animals
Aquatic animal health measures applicable before and at
departure
Aquatic animal health measures applicable during transit from
the place of departure in the exporting country to the place of
arrival in the importing country
 Section 5.
Trade measures, importation/exportation
procedures and health certification
Frontier posts in the importing country
Aquatic animal health measures applicable on arrival
Measures concerning international transport of aquatic animal
pathogens and pathological material
Model health certificates for international trade in live aquatic
animals and products of aquatic animal origin
 Chapter 5.3
Criteria to assess the safety of aquatic
animal commodities and products
2 sets of criteria:
 Criteria to assess the safety of aquatic animal
commodities irrespective of country disease status
 Criteria to assess the safety of aquatic animal
products destined for human consumption
irrespective of country disease status

39
 Sections 8-11
Specific disease chapters
Each specific disease chapter includes recommendations to
prevent the disease in question being introduced into the
importing country
 definition of the pathogen / disease
 list of susceptible species
 what are ‘safe’ commodities (irrespective of disease status)
 how to determine the free status of a country, zone or
compartment
 recommendations for importations of aquatic animal
commodities from a country, zone or compartment declared
free
 recommendations for importations of aquatic animal
commodities from a country, zone or compartment not declared
free.
 Manual of Diagnostic Tests for
Aquatic Animals (‘Aquatic Manual’)
‘Aquatic Manual’

Sixth edition of the Manual of

Diagnostic Tests for Aquatic
Animals (2009)
6th edition, 2009
• Published in September 2009

• Major updates for all diseases

• Chapters only for listed diseases

• Amended format for future editions

• Next printed edition will be in 2012

• In the meantime, amendments can

be made to the web version
2011 edition of the Aquatic Manual is available
on-line at the OIE website
Purpose of Aquatic Manual
Provide internationally agreed standardised approach
to the diagnosis of OIE-listed diseases (Aquatic Code)

Facilitate international trade in aquatic animals and

their products by:
- ensuring harmonisation of diagnostic testing
- avoiding differences in interpretation of results
- ensuring quality of diagnostic tests

Improve aquatic animal health worldwide;

Purpose of Aquatic Manual
Describes diagnostic laboratory methods which are
suitable for the detection of disease as part of a
national aquatic animal health surveillance/control
programme, or as part of a programme to underpin
claims of freedom from a specific disease;

To assist with the development of surveillance

methodologies for OIE-listed diseases;
Purpose of Aquatic Manual

Surveillance programmes aim to determine, from

the results provided by standardised laboratory
methods performed with samples collected
according to defined rules, the health status for a
country, zone or compartment for a specified
disease.
Contents of the Aquatic Manual
Part 1 General Provisions
Section 1.1 Introductory Chapters

Quality management in veterinary testing laboratories

Principles and methods of validation of diagnostic

assays for infectious diseases

Methods for disinfection of aquaculture establishments

Contents of the Aquatic Manual
Part 2 Recommendations Applicable to Specific
Diseases

Diseases of Amphibians (adopted May 2011)

Diseases of Crustaceans
Diseases of Fish
Diseases of Molluscs
General information
Each Section starts with general information on diseases of
amphibians (in preparation), crustaceans, fish, molluscs
A. Sampling
B. Material and biological products required for the isolation
and identification of pathogens
 CHAPTER X.X.X.
DISEASE X
1. Scope
“For the purpose of this chapter, DISEASE NAME is considered to be
INFECTION WITH [PATHOGEN NAME].”

2. Disease information
2.1. Agent factors
2.2. Host factors
2.3. Disease pattern
2.4. Control and prevention
3. Sampling
3.1. Selection of individual specimens
3.2. Preservation of samples for submission
3.3. Pooling of samples
3.4. Best organs or tissues
3.5. Samples/tissues that are not suitable (i.e. not
possible to detect)
4. Diagnostic methods
4.1. Field diagnostic methods
4.2. Clinical methods
4.3. Agent detection and identification methods

5. Rating of tests against purpose of use

6. Test(s) recommended for targeted surveillance

to declare freedom from Disease X.
Describes test methods, for use in targeted
surveillance to declare freedom from disease as
outlined in the Aquatic Code.
OIE guidelines on disease surveillance
Chapter 1.4. of the Aquatic Code
- provides standards for aquatic animal health
surveillance

Guide for Aquatic Animal Health

Surveillance (2009)
- provides detailed guidance on
surveillance principles and practice.
Thank you for your attention