Quarantine Headquarters Leads Asia-wide Transfer of Animal Disease Diagnostic Technologies

Antibiotic Resistance Technology Training Also Conducted

The "11th WOAH Standard Laboratory Animal Disease Diagnosis Workshop" and the "2nd Quarantine Headquarters-WOAH Joint Antibiotic Resistance Technical Training" for WOAH Asian member countries were held from the 3rd to the 12th at the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency in Gimcheon, Gyeongbuk.

An official from an Asian member country of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) receiving on-site training and education at the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency in Gimcheon, Gyeongbuk, from the 3rd to the 12th /

The Animal Disease Diagnosis Workshop is an international event centered on eight standard laboratories designated by WOAH at the Quarantine Headquarters, aimed at transferring South Korea's leading animal disease diagnosis and quarantine technologies to Asian member countries. Since 2012, 168 trainees from 16 Asian countries have been trained.

In addition to training on eight major animal diseases, this workshop also introduced the world's first integrated terrestrial and aquatic 'International Distribution and Standardization WOAH Cooperation Center for Diagnostic Reference Materials,' designated last May, enhancing animal disease diagnosis capabilities.

The Antibiotic Resistance Technical Training is an education program for practitioners from six countries (Malaysia, Mongolia, Vietnam, etc.) selected by the WOAH Asia-Pacific Regional Office to strengthen the antibiotic resistance surveillance system in the animal sector. Specialized skills such as bacterial isolation and antibiotic susceptibility testing, essential for antibiotic resistance testing in animals, were transferred.

Kim Jeong-hee, head of the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency, said, "This workshop will play a role in enhancing animal disease diagnosis capabilities in Asian countries and strengthening the antibiotic resistance surveillance system. We will strive to strengthen cooperation with WOAH and transfer the Quarantine Headquarters' leading technologies to fulfill our role befitting the nation's status."