questions or addressing requests made by our customers, directly to VPH or through our local technical & sales forces. Of course, my job involves extensive travel for face-to-face meetings with our customers, who can be scientists from national reference laboratories, officials from veterinary services or veterinary practitioners. I frequently attend conferences and meetings, to stay up to date with the latest research and share our findings. In between, I work with my team to monitor epidemiological trends, generate supportive data for our products and services. I also interact frequently with key opinion leaders in VPH. Demand and supply of FMD vaccine in the current environment is a hard balancing act that Boehringer Ingelheim is always aiming towards. How do you manage risks and uncertainties of FMD outbreaks? Managing risks and uncertainties of FMD outbreaks is a key part of my role. We employ a multifaceted approach to this challenge. Firstly, we use predictive modeling based on epidemiological data to anticipate potential outbreaks and adjust our vaccine production accordingly. Secondly, we maintain a strategic reserve of antigens to ensure we can respond swiftly to unexpected outbreaks. We also work closely with global health organizations and local communities to monitor disease trends and implement effective vaccination programs. Additionally, we invest in research and development to continually improve the efficacy of our vaccines and the adequacy of our vaccine strains with the latest epidemiological trands. This comprehensive approach not only helps manage the risks of FMD outbreaks but also contributes to global food security and sustainable development by protecting livestock health and productivity. Can you tell us more about how your team contributes towards Boehringer Ingelheim’s commitment to addressing Transboundary animal diseases (TADs) and what next global issue we should be preparing for in the VPH community? The VPH department only deals with diseases that do not know borders and are notifiable because of their sanitary or economic impacts. We provide integrated solutions against Foot and Mouth Disease, Bluetongue, and rabies. The animal health community will face many
challenges in the coming decade, but let me highlight three of them that are particularly critical: Firstly, the threat of zoonotic diseases is more obvious than ever. As we have seen with COVID-19, diseases that jump from animals to humans can have devastating impacts on global health, economies, and societies. We must strengthen our surveillance and response systems, and invest in research to better understand and prevent these diseases. Secondly, antimicrobial resistance is a ticking time bomb. The overuse and misuse of antibiotics in humans and animals can lead to resistant bacteria that threaten both animal and human health. We need to promote responsible use of antibiotics and develop alternatives. Thirdly, climate change is not just an environmental issue, but a significant animal health challenge. Changes in climate patterns can lead to the spread of vector-borne diseases (see the recent orbiviruses emergence in Europe), and affect the availability of food and water for animals. We all must integrate climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies into our policies. As you work with global teams and stakeholders, could you share your experiences and ways of how at Boehringer Ingelheim we stay involved and present in local and cross-cultural communities? On this topic, I think the key word is partnership. The mission of the VPH department of Boehringer Ingelheim is not to be a supplier of vaccine, but really to be a partner of countries in their efforts to eradicate diseases. This is truly capacity building and the best examples might be the partnerships we have put in place with local vaccine manufacturers in several endemic countries. In Botswana we have a 45-year relationship with the Botswana Vaccine Institute that now manufactures high quality vaccine, which has allowed the country to eradicate FMD from most of its territory. This partnership is even given as example in the WOAH Public-Private Partnership Handbook. There are also many other initiatives that my colleagues from the other departments of Boehringer Ingelheim could detail, like the Stop Rabies project in Kenya or Vietnam, that are a testimony of the company’s commitment to being close to the real needs of communities all around the world.
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