Drivers for animal welfare policies in the Middle East.

Religion, ethics and culture are an important group of drivers for animal welfare policies in the Middle East. In many countries of the region the understanding of animal welfare is expressed more in terms of religious precepts and humane ethics than via regulations and legislation. In fact, regulatory and legislated animal welfare standards are still not well implemented and many animal welfare issues require attention. The Qur'an provides considerable support for conscientiously attending to animal welfare. For example, the Islamic rules on the process of slaughter were intended to provide a quick, humane and relatively painless death. Current practices that are not in accordance with these religious teachings may cause great suffering to animals. Although these rules have been in place for 1,400 years or more, now, in the 21st Century, they are found to closely correspond to the related standards of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE). The OIE plays an important role in improving animal welfare by developing global animal welfare standards. These should assist countries in two important ways: first, by helping them to establish new, or to refine existing, animal welfare legislation, and second, at the OIE regional level, by facilitating interactions between Member Countries as they develop and refine a strategic plan for the advancement of animal welfare. As the OIE standards are compatible with the requirements of Islamic law, issuing animal welfare legislation referring to those standards and implementing them at a national level is highly recommended. A dialogue between the OIE and the Veterinary Services and religious leaders in the region should therefore start with the objective of improving animal welfare.

Global perspectives--the Middle East: Egypt.

The Middle East region is characterised by the grouping of 20 countries with similar cultural traditions and religious concepts. The majority of the population of this region follows the religion of Islam, which considers all animals as important as humans, and others follow Christianity and Judaism. The majority of people dealing with animals have their own religious concepts, but most countries have no clear enforced official animal welfare regulations. Animal welfare activities in the Middle East region, as in Egypt for example, are carried out by various individuals, non-governmental organisations and the official Veterinary Services. The slaughter of animals for human consumption is in accordance with Islamic rites, which is the least painful method for the animals. Extensive production systems are the predominant systems in the region, and it is not common for animals in the region to suffer stress during production processes or slaughter. Although some success has been achieved in the area of animal welfare, as seen in improvements in health care, the development of modern abattoirs with proper facilities, and the establishment of policies for combating stray dogs, there are still major constraints to the implementation of effective animal welfare measures, including those for wildlife. These constraints include the lack of finances and the absence of effective legislative measures to prevent the trapping and/or hunting of wild animals for pleasure or illegal trade.

A gel filtration method to test the efficiency of virucidal disinfectants.

We have described a gel filtration technique for assay of the virucidal potency of disinfectants. It allows a complete separation of disinfectant from the virus after contact, thus preventing chemical cytotoxicity. Very low residual infectious activity can be measured. There is no need for a high viral titer antigen.

Regional status and approaches to control and eradication of foot and mouth disease in the Middle East and North Africa.

The Middle East is regarded as the region of the world most heavily affected by foot and mouth disease (FMD). The situation in the Middle East and North Africa constitutes a threat to other regions of the world, especially Europe. Risk management differs between North Africa and the Middle East due to different epidemiological situations. In the Middle East, the national cattle population is the principal target of preventive vaccination. Vaccination is used as a tool for preventing economic losses due to the disease, rather than as a means to prevent the spread of the infection. In North Africa, as FMD occurs almost cyclically, management is more focused on emergency preparedness and limitation of the spread of the disease upon diagnosis, as well as on effective control measures based on quarantine and mass vaccination. To reduce future outbreaks of FMD in the countries of the two regions, a common strategic programme should be adopted, based on effective regional co-operation at many levels. This should be complemented by efforts to restructure and consolidate the national Veterinary Services.