The 5th meeting of South Asia Wildlife Health Network was held online on 17th January, 2025. The meeting was chaired by Mr. Muhammad Samar Hussain Khan, Conservator Wildlife/ WOAH Wildlife Focal Point for Pakistan and attended by participants from India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and WOAH Secretariat. The topic of the meeting was discussion on wildlife disease surveillance in the region. The meeting started with welcome message by Dr. Lesa Thompson, WOAH Deputy Regional Representative for Asia and the Pacific (WOAH-RRAP), followed by introductory remarks by the Chair.
The invited guest speaker Dr. Muhammad Haroon Hamed, Assistant Professor, Department of Zoology, Wildlife and Fisheries, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan delivered a presentation on wildlife diseases surveillance in Pakistan. He provided a detailed overview of prevalence of zoonotic diseases and existing wildlife disease surveillance in the country. In the country updates, Dr Mudassar Chanda, Senior Scientist ICAR-National Institute of Veterinary Epidemiology and Disease Informatics, Bengaluru, India presented a detailed overview of wildlife disease surveillance in India. Dr. Tharaka Prasad, Director Wildlife Health, Department of Wildlife Conservation, Sri Lanka delivered a presentation on wildlife disease surveillance with reference to the recent outbreak of African Swine Fever in Sri Lanka. During the discussion it was noted that, there is a need to establish event-based wildlife disease surveillance systems at national level in the region.
The last Agenda of the meeting was transfer of the Secretariat Chair from Pakistan to Sri Lanka. Mr. Muhammad Samar Hussain Khan from Pakistan transferred the Chair to Dr. Tharaka Prasad of Sri Lanka. Dr. Lesa Thompson in her closing remarks appreciated the member countries for their engagement in the network. She thanked the guest speaker Dr. Muhammad Haroon Hamed for his contribution in the network meetings. She welcomed the new Chair and assured that, WOAH will extend its full support in the future activities of the network.
1. Presentation by Dr. Muhammad Haroon Hamed
2. Presentation by Dr Dudassar Chanda
3. Presentation by Dr. Tharaka Prasad
*Photo credit: Mr Muhammad Samar Hussain Khan
