The Biological Threat Reduction Program (BTRP) of the U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) delivers interventions to enhance surveillance of especially dangerous pathogens of both humans and animals within countries of the former Soviet Union. The program targets the different stages at which threats or their impact can be reduced, for example via i) the reduction of exposure to threats, or ii) measures for the containment of the threat. The program delivers training on surveillance-related subjects through regular events attended by representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture of Uzbekistan (UZ). This provides an opportunity to capture data and conduct simple interventions on specific subjects amenable to basic evaluation. Given the sensitive nature of pathogen-specific data, we focus on non-disease-specific interventions leading to the reduction of exposure to and release of any given hazard. Here we present an opportunistic approach for capturing data, at no additional cost, to assess i) baseline awareness of on-farm biosecurity measures among UZ veterinary officials and ii) the impact of training on their awareness of biosecurity. We also discuss the conceptual design of a study to assess on-farm biosecurity practices in UZ.
Objective
To describe approaches to the evaluation of surveillance-related efforts in resource-limited countries. Here we present an opportunistic approach to measure the success of efforts to improve on-farm biosecurity in Uzbekistan, leading to a reduction of generic threats to animal disease transmission.
The Threat Agent Detection and (TADR) Network currently supports the U.S. Government’s (USG) strategy for strengthening Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) compliance through focus on disease surveillance and investigations of suspicious outbreaks of disease in the Republics of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Georgia and Azerbaijan. TADR is a comprehensive approach to achieving the USG’s overall BWC compliance, and consists of
several components.
Objective
This paper describes the Electronic Integrated Disease Surveillance System being deployed in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Georgia, and Azerbaijan under the Biological Threat Reduction Program (BTRP) as part of the TADR Network.
The Biological Threat Reduction Program (BTRP) has been being implemented in the Republic of Uzbekistan since 2004 within the framework of the Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Government of the United States of America Concerning Cooperation in the Area of the Promotion of Defense Relations and the Prevention of Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction of 06.05.2001. Threat agent detection and response activities that target a list of especially dangerous pathogens are being carried out under the BTRP within the health care system of Uzbekistan. This presentation reviews some of the achievements of the program to date.
Objective:
To review the implementation of the Biological Threat Reduction Program (BTRP) of the U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency in the Republic of Uzbekistan since 2004.