FAO participated in the peak event of the 187th Livestock and Animal Health Services Month in Boyolali, Central Java, on 22 September 2023 hosted by the Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture. This event serves as momentum for all stakeholders in the livestock and animal health sectors to work together to strengthen the national food security programme by leveraging the potential of local livestock feed to increase farmer welfare and improve animal husbandry in Indonesia. Among others, the events included: exhibitions of high-quality livestock products as well as appreciation and acknowledgment of relevant stakeholders in the livestock sectors. On this occasion, FAO gave Letters of Appreciation to the Ministry of Agriculture for its achievements in controlling HPAI in Indonesia for more than a decade since the first HPAI outbreak in 2005 and for its efforts and contributions in preserving the germplasm of Bali cattle during the last thirteen years.

A case control study to evaluate the social and epidemiological impacts of long-lasting collars deployed during dog vaccination campaigns in Bangladesh has been conducted at Savar and Narshingdi municipalities between 8 and 16 September 2023. The study was conducted by FAO and the University of Glasgow in collaboration with Department of Livestock Services, Communicable Disease Control (CDC) and DGHS thanks to USAID for the funding support. Over the course of eight days, a total of 2 153 dogs were vaccinated, microchipped and marked by collaring, with 1 146 dogs at Savar and 1007 dogs at Narshingdi.

FAO ECTAD Regional Laboratory Coordinator Filip Claes presented ECTAD’s live bird market surveillance efforts at WHO's third bi-regional advocacy meeting on risk mitigation in traditional food markets in the Asia-Pacific region. The event, held from 19 to 21 September, was convened to engage Members in improving traditional food markets in the region and to gain their commitment to supporting local-level authorities to promote needed change.

FAO, funded by USAID, conducted three lots of orientation training to veterinarians to prepare them as resource persons for school education programmes on rabies prevention and control in September. The trainings were conducted in Pokhara (Gandaki Province), Kathmandu (Bagamati Province) and Chitwan (Bagamati Province) where around 100 veterinarians participated. Similar training was conducted in July in Dhangadhi (Sudur Pashchim Province). These trained veterinarians are being mobilized to boost awareness for school students in various districts.  

On 15 September 2023, FAO, Ministry of Agriculture and Transformational Teacher Center West Java held a meeting to draft guidelines for an empowerment programme for teachers and education personnel of sekolah penggerak (school movers) on zoonoses awareness for primary and secondary schools in West Java Province. From the meeting, all parties developed an action plan related to the programme, one of which is to use rabies as a model to kick off the programme in support of celebrating World Rabies Day in 2023 thanks to USAID for the support.

Continuing the agreed action plan between the FAO, Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture, and Transformational Teacher Center West Java, held an online webinar on rabies prevention for sekolah penggerak (school movers) teachers with USAID’s support on 22 September 2023. Around 250 people, including school principals and teachers of sekolah penggerak in primary schools and junior high schools across West Java Province, attended the webinar. At this event, Ministry of Agriculture explained what rabies is and how to prevent it, while FAO delivered information related to FAO and efforts to eradicate rabies. This webinar aimed to improve teachers’ and educational personnel’s knowledge of rabies. Following this webinar, information, education and communication (IEC) materials will be distributed to teachers for use in teaching students about rabies and its threats.