Although Foot and Mouth disease (FMD) has been eradicated in developed countries, the re-introduction of the disease from FMD regions does occasionally occur. Consequently, it is very important to be able to identify the clinical signs of the disease and quickly take the appropriate measures. In an effort to aid veterinarians from FMD-free regions in recognizing the disease, the European Union has started a unique training project in Erzerum, Turkey.

How do you recognize a disease that rarely occurs in your region? In the case of Foot and Mouth disease, (FMD) the efficient identification of clinical symptoms is not easy because the disease has been eradicated in Europe and in most other developed countries, and hands-on experience of veterinarians is now hard to obtain. At times, however, this contagious disease has reoccurred in FMD-free regions and the need for quick diagnosis and treatment is paramount.
Turkey is one of the countries where FMD is endemic and which presents an excellent environment for veterinarians to gain experience in clinical recognition and the appropriate control measures. To aid in the control of FMD, the European Commission for the control of FMD (euFMD) offers field-based training courses in Erzerum, Eastern Turkey, to develop and maintain a cadre of veterinarians with up-to-date experience of FMD investigation and epidemiology.

 
Turkey uses the PrioCHECK^® FMDV NS
Infections of FMD in Europe often originate through animal trade with high risk regions. The European Union supports prevention and surveillance projects in affected regions and in Turkey, for example, vaccination programs are in place to prevent the spread of the disease. The effectiveness of vaccination and as well as disease prevalence is monitored using diagnostic tests. In a recent call for tenders for diagnostic tests, issued by Europe Aid of the European Union, Prionics secured the supply contract for 200,000 PrioCHECK^® FMDV NS tests. These tests will be used in the Turkish FMD program that is lead by the Turkish Reference Institute for FMD in Ankara. The veterinarians who are to be trained in Erzerum will be also acquainted with the many benefits of the NS test. “We are very happy that we can supply our tests to Turkey. The PrioCHECK^® FMDV is internationally regarded as the best test for FMD for outbreaks for which the virus strain is not determined”, says Dr. Wim Schielen, Business Manager for FMD of Prionics. “Another important advantage of the test is its ability to discriminate between vaccinated and non-vaccinated animals, which is important for the Turkish vaccination programs.”