AquaHealth Online: A new learning environment for capacity building in aquatic animal health
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Abstract
Due to significant requirement of trained personnel in Fish Health Management, the Aquaculture Department of the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC/AQD) offered 14 sessions of face-to-face (F2F) training (1988-2002) at its station in Iloilo. However, shrinking fellowship and travel funds necessitated a shift in training paradigm. Thus, transformation of teaching materials used in F2F trainings resulted to AquaHealth Online, a team developed and electronically delivered course on Health Management in Aquaculture. The general objective of the course transformation was to train a large pool of geographically dispersed participants at minimum cost, and this paper reports on the experience earned in course development, delivery and outcome. To enable Fish Health specialists to develop materials and skills to deliver courses for the online environment, SEAFDEC/AQD collaborated with the University of the Philippines Open University to help adapt, enhance, and reformulate materials in the F2F course for online delivery. The specialists underwent hours of training in "techno-pedagogy", or ways of transforming teaching activities into formats that could be understood even in our absence. The primary learning resource is a CD-ROM that provides interactive information with self-assessment questions. The course covers 12 modules in 4 units: I. Introduction to Fish Health Management; II. Infectious Diseases of Fish and Crustaceans; III. Non-Infectious Diseases; and IV. Disease Diagnosis, Prevention and Control. Learning enhancement and discussion occurs through internet-based Discussion Boards (DBs) presided over by module specialists. The DBs serve as media for asynchronous discussions and makes a permanent record of lessons learned. When first offered in 2002, AquaHealth Online had 25 enrollees from 10 countries. In 2003, there were 17 participants from 8 countries. Participants were led to "just-in" relevant information and encouraged to submit assignments from internet resources. This course is an example that a state-of-the-art online course can be as effective as F2F training.
Suggested Citation
Lavilla-Pitogo, C. R., & Torres Jr., P. L. (2004). AquaHealth Online: A new learning environment for capacity building in aquatic animal health. In C. R. Lavilla-Pitogo & K. Nagasawa (Eds.), Transboundary Fish Diseases in Southeast Asia: Occurence, Surveillance, Research and Training. Proceedings of the Meeting on Current Status of Transboundary Fish Diseases in Southeast Asia: Occurence, Surveillance, Research and Training, Manila, Philippines, 23-24 June 2004 (pp. 53-66). Tigbauan, Iloilo, Philippines: SEAFDEC Aquaculture Department.
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Conference paperISBN
9718511695Related items
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OIE international standards on aquatic animals
(Aquaculture Department, Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center, 2019)The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) is the intergovernmental organisation responsible for improving animal health worldwide. It is recognised as a reference organisation by the World Trade Organization (WTO) to develop international standards for animal health and zoonoses; as of May 2018, it counts a total of 182 Members. As the global leader for animal health and welfare standards, the OIE plays an influential role in the prevention, control and information sharing of animal diseases including aquatic animal diseases. The objectives of OIE are to: (1) Ensure transparency in the global animal disease situation; (2) Collect, analyse and disseminate veterinary scientific information; (3) Encourage international solidarity in the control of animal diseases; (4) Safeguard World trade by publishing health standards for international, trade in animals and animal products; (5) Improve the legal framework and resources, national veterinary services and aquatic animal health services; and (6) to provide a better guarantee of food of animal origin and to promote animal welfare. As an international standard setting organisation, the OIE Aquatic Animal Health Code (the Aquatic Code) provides standards for the improvement of aquatic animal health worldwide. It also includes standards for the welfare of farmed fish and use of antimicrobial agents in aquatic animals. The sanitary measures in the Aquatic Code provide international standards on importing and exporting countries for early detection, reporting and control of pathogenic agents in aquatic animals (amphibians, crustaceans, fish and molluscs) and to prevent their spread via international trade in aquatic animals and their products, while avoiding unjustified sanitary barriers to trade. In addition, to provide a standardised approach to the diagnosis of the diseases listed in the Aquatic Code and to facilitate health certification for trade in aquatic animals and aquatic animal products, the OIE also developed the OIE Manual of Diagnostic Tests for Aquatic Animals. OIE Aquatic Animal Code chapter 2.1 Import Risk Analysis provide recommendations and principles for conducting transparent, objective and defensible risk for importing aquatic animals and aquatic animal products. The components of risk analysis are 1) hazard identification, 2) risk assessment, 3) risk management and 4) risk communication. Additionally, the OIE international standards (Code and Manual), World Animal Health Information System, and OIE Tool for the Evaluation of Performance of Aquatic Animal Health Services also provide scientific evidence to the MCs on import risk analysis. -
Fish disease control in Japan
(Aquaculture Department, Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center, 2019)The regulatory authority responsible for the control of aquatic animal diseases in Japan is the Animal Products Safety Division, Food Safety and Consumer Affairs Bureau, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries (MAFF). The ministry (Animal Products Safety Division) specifies certain diseases and their host species that are subjects for import quarantine on the basis of the law called Fisheries Resources Protection Act. The MAFF also implements risk control measures for the same diseases within Japan on the basis of another law, Fish Farming Production Maintaining Act. Currently, 24 such diseases are listed. For disease control within Japan, the MAFF issues Guideline for the Control of Aquatic Animal Diseases, which states the roles of different stakeholders, appropriate actions that are to be taken on the occurrences of specified or other diseases, fish health guidelines for fish farmers, or diagnostic methods for specified diseases, etc. Local prefectural governments in Japan are required to place personnel who work on fish health issues at the prefectural fisheries research laboratories. These people usually inspect fish farms, observe cultured aquatic animals, supervise the use of antibiotics or vaccines, and guide fish farmers for disease control. Disease diagnosis for aquatic animals is usually conducted by these local fisheries research labs for free. The Japan Fisheries Resource Conservation Association provides a comprehensive training course on fish diseases including laws or hands-on trainings for the staff of prefectural fisheries research laboratories. The JFRCA also give local fish health personnel the qualification as the fish health expert, if the person passes the examination conducted after the training course. Primary diagnosis for specified diseases is conducted by local fisheries laboratories. On the occurrence of the diseases that are suspected to be one of the specified diseases or OIE listed diseases that have not been reported in Japan, the samples are sent to the National Research Institute of Aquaculture (NRIA) where confirmatory diagnosis is made. When such diseases are confirmed, it is reported to the MAFF (or to the OIE through MAFF). For specified diseases, Fish Farming Production Maintaining Act enables local governments to implement necessary measures to prevent the disease from spreading, including issuing orders such as to stop the transfer of the animals to other watersheds, to destroy animals, or to disinfect the facilities. When an unknown disease is encountered by a prefectural fisheries research laboratory, the NRIA is requested to conduct diagnosis. The NRIA develops diagnostic methods for new diseases and disseminate the techniques to local fisheries research laboratories. The NRIA provide positive control materials for disease diagnosis, hands-on trainings of specific subjects concerning diagnostic techniques, or proficiency tests for the fish health personnel of the local fisheries research laboratories. -
Recent Asian initiatives under the NACA regional programme on aquatic animal health management
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