UAE adopts the World Animal Health Information System

Abu Dhabi, October 10, 2012 (WAM) - The Ministry of Environment and Water, in collaboration with the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), has implemented the World Animal Health Information System (WAHIS), an internet-based computer system that processes data on animal diseases in real-time and then informs the international community. OIE Members use WAHIS to notify the OIE of relevant animal disease information. The system consists in two components: an early warning system to inform the international community, by means of "alert messages", of relevant epidemiological events that occurred in OIE Members, and a monitoring system in order to monitor OIE Listed diseases (presence or absence) over time Whenever an important epidemiological event occurs in a Member, the Member must inform the OIE by sending an Immediate Notification (terrestrial and aquatic animals) which includes the reason for the notification, the name of the disease, the affected species, the geographical area affected, the control measures applied and any laboratory tests carried out or in progress. – Emirates News Agency, WAM