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Reporting – Focal Point for Animal Disease Notification

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Your role in reporting

The Focal Point for Animal Disease Notification assists the WOAH Delegate in meeting the Member’s reporting obligations under Articles 1.1.3, 1.1.4 and 1.1.5 of the WOAH Codes. The Focal Point prepares and submits disease reports through WAHIS, ensuring timely and accurate notification of animal disease events to WOAH. All submissions are made under the authority of the Delegate.

The Focal Point for Animal Disease Notification is WOAH’s first point of contact for reporting.

For what each report covers across all Focal Points, see Reporting to WOAH: what, when and where.

Main reporting responsibilities

Report When Your responsibility Where Procedure
Immediate notification Within 24 hours of confirmation Terrestrial: primary, in collaboration with the Focal Point for Wildlife
Aquatic: shared with the Focal Point for Aquatic Animals		 WAHIS – Animal Disease Events module Terrestrial | Aquatic
Follow-up reports Weekly, until a final report is submitted Terrestrial: primary, in collaboration with the Focal Point for Wildlife
Aquatic: shared with the Focal Point for Aquatic Animals		 WAHIS – Animal Disease Events module Terrestrial | Aquatic
Six-monthly report – terrestrial Twice a year (indicative deadlines: mid-September for January–June, mid-March for July–December) Primary, in collaboration with the Focal Point for Wildlife WAHIS – Six-monthly reports module Terrestrial
Six-monthly report – aquatic Twice a year (indicative deadlines: mid-September for January–June, mid-March for July–December) Shared with the Focal Point for Aquatic Animals WAHIS – Six-monthly reports module Aquatic
Annual report Once a year (available from 1 January, due by the end of April) Primary, in collaboration with the Focal Point for Aquatic Animals (terrestrial and aquatic in one report) WAHIS – Annual reports module Annual report
ARAHIS (ASEAN Member States) Monthly, since 1 January 2025 Primary, in collaboration with the Focal Point for Wildlife WAHIS – Animal Disease Events module ARAHIS reporting

Voluntary reporting

Report When Your responsibility Where Procedure
Article 1.1.5 notifications Ad hoc Terrestrial: primary
Aquatic: shared with the Focal Point for Aquatic Animals		 WAHIS Support Desk Article 1.1.5
Non-listed diseases in wildlife Ad hoc Shared with the Focal Point for Wildlife; either can report, with the Focal Point for Animal Disease Notification kept informed WildEpi WildEpi Q&A
ARAHIS reporting in WAHIS (ASEAN Member States)
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Since 1 January 2025, the seven ARAHIS priority diseases are reported monthly through the WAHIS Animal Disease Events module (ADEM). How to report depends on the disease’s situation and reporting history in WAHIS:

  • Disease reported to WAHIS as an exceptional event: continue reporting in ADEM under Article 1.1.3, as usual.
  • Disease endemic or stable (previously reported only in six-monthly reports): a stable event should exist in ADEM. If it does not, create one first (two separate notifications) by submitting an immediate notification with an epidemiological comment; WOAH publishes the event as stable. With the stable marker in place, submit an immediate notification to open an ARAHIS event, adding the epidemiological comment: “This event concerns an endemic disease but is reported through the WAHIS animal disease events module to accommodate ARAHIS (ASEAN Regional Animal Health Information System) reporting.” Then submit monthly follow-up reports. No alert is sent to WAHIS subscribers when this notification is created.
  • Disease previously eradicated or never reported: submit an immediate notification, followed by weekly follow-up reports until a final report is submitted – the standard process for notification under Article 1.1.3.

Once an ARAHIS event exists, all outbreaks of the same serotype are reported in that event. Event data are transferred automatically to the six-monthly report.

ARAHIS dashboard: a dedicated ARAHIS dashboard is under development and will be published on the WOAH Sub-Regional Representation for South-East Asia website in the near future. In the meantime, ARAHIS data can be viewed on the WAHIS public interface.

ARAHIS reporting – WAHIS Support Desk

Working with the Focal Points for Aquatic Animals and Wildlife
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WOAH does not prescribe which Focal Point submits which report: each Member decides how reporting is shared between its Focal Points. WAHIS access can be restricted by animal category (terrestrial or aquatic), but not by report type.

Immediate notifications are due within 24 hours of confirmation. The clock starts when the disease is confirmed, not when the information reaches the Focal Point who submits the report, so findings from the Focal Points for Aquatic Animals and Wildlife should be shared straight away.

Focal Point for Aquatic Animals

  • Aquatic animal disease reports in WAHIS – immediate notifications, follow-up reports and the aquatic six-monthly report – may be submitted by the Focal Point for Aquatic Animals, by the Focal Point for Animal Disease Notification, or shared between them. The Focal Point for Aquatic Animals may have their own WAHIS access for aquatic animals and report aquatic data directly.
  • All aquatic animals, including wild ones, fall under aquatic reporting. Marine mammals are the exception: they are terrestrial animals for reporting purposes.
  • The annual report covers terrestrial and aquatic animals in one report. The Focal Point for Aquatic Animals contributes the aquatic data, while the report is usually submitted by the Focal Point for Animal Disease Notification.
  • For RAAD, the Focal Point for Aquatic Animals is the primary reporter.

Focal Point for Wildlife

  • The Focal Point for Animal Disease Notification relies on the Focal Point for Wildlife for the wildlife disease information needed to report to WOAH through WAHIS.
  • The Focal Point for Wildlife can obtain their own WAHIS access and contribute to submissions in collaboration with the Focal Point for Animal Disease Notification – for example, by entering occurrence codes for wild animals in six-monthly reports.
  • Notifications under Article 1.1.5 concerning wildlife can be submitted by either Focal Point; in all cases, the Focal Point for Animal Disease Notification should be aware of what is reported.

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