Brucellosis progressive control workshop for countries of Central Asia and the Caucasus

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), will host the ‘Brucellosis progressive control workshop’ between 3 to 6 February in Budapest, Hungary, aimed at supporting the prevention, control, and elimination of brucellosis in Central Asia and the Caucasus. This regional workshop will introduce the Stepwise Approach for Progressive Control of Brucellosis (SAPCB) and the Staged Tool for the Elimination of Brucellosis (STEB). These tools are designed to help countries assess their capacities and develop strategies for controlling the zoonotic disease (a disease that can spread between animals and people), which poses significant public health and economic challenges across the region.

Workshop objectives:

• Train representatives from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan on SAPCB and STEB for systematic brucellosis control.
• Conduct initial STEB-based assessments to identify gaps and next steps for national prevention and control.
• Create country-level reports to inform the development of national strategies and a regional brucellosis network.
• Gather feedback on the Stepwise Approach for Progressive Control of Brucellosis (SAPCB) and the Staged Tool for the Elimination of Brucellosis (STEB) for future enhancements.

Participants will include representatives from public health and veterinary sectors. A follow-up workshop is planned for 2027 to evaluate regional progress.