Expanding Multidisciplinary Collaboration within BNSR: Biosurveillance Network of the Silk Road (BNSR) Annual Meeting

24 Sep 2018 - 26 Sep 2018

The Biosurveillance Network of the Silk Road (BNSR) Annual Meeting was held at Castello Mare, Tsikhisdziri, Georgia on September 24-26, 2018.
The Biosurveillance Network of the Silk Road is a non-governmental organization that is aimed at development of effectively-functioning disease surveillance network in Eastern Europe. BNSR contributes to strengthening the human and animal health security not only nationally but also within the region and therefore globally.
Since 2015, BNSR works as a platform, which provides the opportunity of a joint work for animal and human health professionals using the One Health Approach, through cross-border meetings, regular teleconferences between veterinarians and epidemiologists as well as conferences that are held annually.
The aim of the 2018 Annual BNSR Plenary Meeting was to provide a sustainable forum for participants to share information regarding national and regional epidemiological surveillance upon zoonotic diseases, to enhance the laboratories coordination in order to improve translation of data into public health action and to highlight the importance of One Health approach in combating Antimicrobial Resistance and Food Safety issues.
The meeting was organized by the local Organizing Committee of the National Center for Disease Control and Public Health of Georgia. Participants from Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Moldova, Uzbekistan, Belarus, Turkey, France and the USA took part in the meeting along with the experts from the World Health Organization (WHO), US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), British Medical Journal (BMJ), Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), Ministry of Agriculture, France.
The STCU has been invited to the Annual BNSR Plenary Meeting to present the organization and its activity in Bio-area taking into account the current STCU efforts in enhancement of Biosafty&Biosecurity and Biosurviellence systems in the STCU Recipient countries including Azerbaijan, Georgia and Ukraine. Dr. Vlada Pashynska, STCU Senior Specialist in Bio, presented at the meeting the report “Science and Technology Center in Ukraine: current priorities and activity”.