MedReoNet

Objectives

This proposal directly addresses the Call FP6-2005-SSP-5-A Area 1.4 “New and more environment friendly production methods to improve animal health and welfare including research on animal diseases such as foot and mouth disease, swine fever and development of marker vaccines” within the 6th Framework. The proposal concerns task 1: Culicoides transmitted diseases: bluetongue and African horse sickness .

The Strategic objectives of Med_Reo_Net are:

to further expand our knowledge of the epidemiology of bluetongue, African horse sickness and Epizootic Haemorrhagic Disease in the Mediterranean Basin and Europe
to apply this knowledge to optimize the surveillance of these two Culicoides -borne diseases

The Research objectives of Med_Reo_Net are:

to further study the ecology of Culicoides vectors and their expansion,
to further study the behaviour of Bluetongue and Epizootic Haemorrhagic Disease after their emergence in the Mediterranean basin and in the North of Europe.

The expected outputs of the project are:

Scientific
- Improved surveillance network for BT and AHS in the Euromediterranean region
- Data on vector distribution
- Data on viral strain distribution
- Data on potential threatening viral strain around the region
Technical and policy support
- Recommendation on implementation of national surveillance systems
- Better documentation of disease status
- Harmonisation of diagnostic tests and case definition
- Development and maintenance of Euro Mediterranean database on viral strain and disease situation