Information is provided to all countries in the Americas and the Caribbean on the sanitary situation and the response actions to the outbreak of ASF in the Dominican Republic and Haiti, by both governments and some international agencies. The webinar is made up of four papers: “Current situation of the ASF outbreak in the Dominican Republic,” “Current situation of the outbreak of ASF in Haiti,” “Experience in USDA” and “Experience in OIRSA.”
Dra. Ángela Morillo: Has worked in different posts of the General Office of Livestock and at present is Director General. Was Regional Central Livestock Director in 2020 and 2022, while from 2001 to 2004 she was Regional Central Livestock Epidemiologist at the same institution.
In 2021 she studied Emerging and Transboundary Diseases and in the same year she obtained a diploma in Good Practices of Animal Health Emergency Management (GEMP). In 2009 she studied tracing outbreaks of Classical Swine Fever. In 2002 she studied nutrition, food safety, trade and public health and agricultural marketing. In 2001 she was involved in the control and eradication of Classical Swine Fever, while in 1995 she was on the 10th International Animal Production Course. She participated in improving animal production in 1992.
Dr. Haïm Joseph: Obtained in 2004 a degree in veterinary medicine and animal husbandry. Doctorate in veterinary science and animal husbandry at the Universidad Agraria de la Habana (UNAH), Cuba, and studies in legal sciences in the Université d'État d'Haïti (UEH), School of Law and Economics, Gonaives, from 2006 to 2010.
From 2016 to July 2018 he was director of the Department of Food Safety, Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Development (MARNDR). Between 2010 and 2016 he was Deputy Director of Animal Health at national level at the Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Development (MARNDR). He was part of the support and research group for the development of the far west (GRAF), and was part-time consultant for the training of veterinary agents and breeders between 2004 and 2008. He was deputy service manager of national animal quarantine between 2004 and 2007, while from 2007 to May 2010 he was national coordinator of vaccination programs and epidemiological surveillance of poultry, animal disease control and animal zoonosis.
He was health and development coordinator for Haiti (COSADH) from 2005 to 2010 and was also part-time consultant in training surveillance agents in veterinary attention and animal husbandry techniques for breeders of small ruminants in the lower Central Plateau.
From 2011 to the present he is a part-time professor at the Université Episcopale d’Haïti (UNEPH) in veterinary attention and parasitology courses. From 2012 to 2015 he was part-time professor at the Institut Supérieur de Formation de Cadres de Santé (ISFCS), while from 2005 to 2017 he was part-time professor in the School of Agriculture on the courses in animal pathology, animal anatomy and physiology and zoology at the Université Caraibes.
From July 2018 to the present he is coordinator of the Health Protection Unit (UPS) and Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Development (MARNDR).
Dr. Jack Shere: Dr, Jack A. Shere is the Deputy Administrator for Veterinary Services at the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). In addition to the domestic program diseases work that is a large part of the Veterinary Services mission, Dr. Shere has worked on animal disease outbreaks of Salmonella enteriditis (SE), Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) in England, Low Pathogenic Avian Influenza (LPAI), Exotic Newcastle Disease (END), and High Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI). During the 2002-2003 Exotic Newcastle Disease outbreak in California, Texas, New Mexico and Utah, he served as the Joint Area Commander and Incident Commander forthe task force that eradicated this disease from the United States.
Dr. Shere has held many roles since joining the USDA APHIS Veterinary Services in 1990, serving as a field Veterinary Medical Officer (VMO) in Nebraska and Wisconsin. In Wisconsin, he worked both as a field VMO and as the State Area Epidemiology Officer (AEO) from 1991 to 1999. In 1999, he was promoted to the position of Area Veterinarian in Charge (AVIC). Dr. Shere served as the AVIC fromApril 1999 to November 2002, when he was promoted to the position of theAssociate Regional Director (ARD) for the Western Region of the United States.From 2005 to 2013, Dr. Shere was the Eastern Regional Director of the United States for Veterinary Services. Dr. Shere received a BS in Biology and Chemistry in 1981, a DVM in 1987, and a MS in Education with a minor in counseling in 1988 – all from Iowa State University. He practiced Veterinary Clinical Medicine for three years in Georgia. He received a joint PhD in Poultry Science and in Microbiology, which were awarded in 2001 from the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Wisconsin. His PhD research and dissertation involved the epidemiology and ecology of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in cattle.
Dr. Abelardo de Gracia: Dr. De Gracia received a degree in veterinary medicine in 1981 from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil. In 1997 he received a Master’s in Experimental and Applied Epidemiology in Zoonosis from the Universidade de SãoPaulo, Brazil. In 1998 he carried out studies in Epidemiology and Economics as the basis for Planning for Animal Health Programs in Germany, and in 2001 took Epidemiology and Analysis and Risk at Colorado State University, CEAH/USDA.
He is the current coordinator of the OIE task force for ASF in the Americas. He is also the OIE expert for the assessment of veterinary services. He is a member of the expert group for ASF in the Americas. Since 2018 he is Regional Director of Animal Health of OIRSA. Between 2015 and 2017 he was Animal Health Officer of the OIRSA and regional manager of transboundary diseases. From 2008 to 2014 he was OIRSA Animal Health Regional Director. From 2001 to 2014 he was a representative of the OIRSA. From 2000 to 2001 he was Deputy National Director of Animal Health of the National Office of Animal Health of the Ministry of Agricultural Development (MIDA) and was Department Head of Epidemiology of the National Office of Animal Health of the Ministry of Agricultural Development (MIDA) between 1997 and 2000. From 1994 to 1995 he was director of the Dr. Gerardino Medina National Laboratory for Veterinary Diagnosis and Research, MIDA. He was also Head of Serology of the Dr. Gerardino Medina National Laboratory of Veterinary Diagnosis and Research, MIDA from 1990 to 1994. Between 1987 and 1990 he was Epidemiology Assistant of the National Office of Animal Health of the Ministry of Agricultural Development (MIDA) and worked as a field veterinarian in the National Office of Animal Health of the Ministry of Agricultural Development (MIDA) between 1982 and 1987.
