On July 18, 2017 the Embassador of the Republic of Sudan, his Excellency Bedreldin Abdalla, and the First Secretary of the Embassy, Omer Hamid, visited the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut on the Isle of Riems to gain insights into the work of the institute and discuss the possibilities for future cooperation. After a short overview of the institute’s history and present work by the President, Professor Thomas C. Mettenleiter, the heads of the Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Professor Martin H. Groschup, the Institute of Diagnostic Virology, Professor Martin Beer, and the Institute of Epidemiology, Professor Franz J. Conraths, presented their work fields. This also included information on the work group “International Animal Health” represented at the meeting by Dr. Klaus Depner.
Subsequently, the ambassador informed the participants of the political, economic and ecological situation in Sudan. It was reported that the country currently has approximately 106 million farmed animals, mostly cattle, sheep and goats. An important element of the agrarian sector is the export of live animals, e.g. small ruminants to the Arabian Peninsula and camels to Egypt.
This overview served as basis for a discussion on the possibilities for future joint projects. The participants agreed to look for possibilities for long-term cooperation in different fields of animal health. In addition to the immediate control and combat of diseases, in particular aspects of surveillance and management as well as laboratory diagnostics and the improvement of vaccines were identified as central fields of future cooperation. Furthermore, the FLI also will provide advice at short notice in case of a disease outbreak.
The visit ended with a tour of the institute’s premises.
