The Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency announced on the 18th that it signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock of Bangladesh on the 15th to mutually cooperate on animal diseases such as foot-and-mouth disease.
This MOU is an extension of the agreement signed in February 2020, aimed at understanding the recent outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease and other animal diseases in Bangladesh, which belongs to 'Pool 2' among the foot-and-mouth disease epidemic regions, and securing genetic resources to expand and strengthen cooperation between the two organizations in the future. The global foot-and-mouth disease epidemic regions are divided into seven pools, with Korea and Southeast Asia classified as 'Pool 1', and South Asian countries such as Bangladesh, India, and Nepal classified as 'Pool 2'.
The Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock of Bangladesh on the 15th to promote mutual cooperation on animal diseases such as foot-and-mouth disease, and they are taking a commemorative photo.
An official from the Quarantine Agency explained, "Especially since new emerging diseases such as foot-and-mouth disease, lumpy skin disease, and pseudo-rinderpest are continuously occurring overseas, international cooperation with countries like Bangladesh is very important to prevent and respond to their introduction domestically."
The main areas of cooperation under this MOU include ▲ sharing information on outbreaks of animal diseases such as foot-and-mouth disease ▲ joint research on surveillance, diagnosis, and quarantine of animal diseases ▲ personnel exchanges and mutual use and exchange of academic information.
Since 2020, the Quarantine Agency has been conducting joint research with the Central Disease Investigation Laboratory (CDIL) under the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock of Bangladesh to respond to animal diseases such as foot-and-mouth disease, and plans to continue joint research on foot-and-mouth disease virus response in Bangladesh for five years starting in 2025.
Kim Cheol, Director of the Animal and Plant Hygiene Research Department at the Quarantine Agency, said, "This MOU will establish a foundation to secure preemptive response technologies by understanding the outbreaks and variant viruses of foot-and-mouth disease in South Asian regions such as Bangladesh and India," adding, "We will continue to strive to achieve the common goal of eradicating animal diseases such as foot-and-mouth disease through close cooperation between the two organizations."
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