Welcome
Background
Webinar organised in September 2020.
In the context of the current topic of the webinar, at least two viral emerging diseases of livestock are of major importance to the European Commission at the moment are Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) of cattle and buffaloes and African Swine Fever (ASF) of domestic pigs and wild boars, both without zoonotic implications. For LSD, the vectorial transmission has been suspected but never demonstrated, while for ASF, biological vectorial transmission has been demonstrated at the moment only for certain soft ticks. However, mechanical transmission is suspected mainly in areas with a high number of outbreaks where these soft ticks are absent. Nevertheless, ASF is transmissible also directly and via fomites. In this context, the understanding of the importance of mechanical transmission by arthropods is meaningful, as this could lead to efficient control measures and to the reduction of the impact of economically important diseases such as LSD and ASF.
Objective
The objective of this webinar was to present to specialists involved in the animal health activities the current state of knowledge regarding mechanical transmission, its epidemiological implications, practical relevance in disease control and role of public health authorities in advance of knowledge and filling of gaps.
Target Audience
The main target audience for the first webinar are public and animal health stakeholders.
Delivery
The webinar was delivered online on 28 September 2020, 16:00 CET) and was presented by Andrei D. Mihalca & Marieta Braks.