Disease prevention and preparedness: the Food and Agriculture OrganizationEmergency Prevention System

In 1994, the Food and Agriculture Organization undertook to revitalise its activities in the control of transboundary animal disease by establishing a new special programme known as the Emergency Prevention System (EMPRES) ag ainst transboundary animal and plant pests and diseases. The emphasis of th e EMPRES livestock component is placed on pre-empting outbreaks and losses experienced by agriculture through the enhancement of local capacity to det ect and react rapidly to plague events. EMPRES concentrates on the co-ordin ation of the Global Rinderpest Eradication Programme - a time-bound eradica tion programme whilst addressing the progressive control of the most seriou s epidemic diseases within a broad framework of emergency preparedness. Pro gramme activities are discussed in relation to early warning, early reactio n, facilitating research and co-ordination. In addition to rinderpest, part icular attention has been paid to contagious bovine pleuropneumonia, a re-e merging disease in Africa targeted for strategic attention, and foot and mo uth disease, for which co-ordinated regional control in Latin America and S outh-East Asia has been initiated. Tactical responses to other disease emer gencies such as African swine fever, classical swine fever (hog cholera), R ift Valley fever, peste des petits ruminants and lumpy skin disease are des cribed.