COSALFA 52 reviews regional progress and focuses on prevention and preparedness amid increasing global foot-and-mouth disease risks

Georgetown, April 23, 2026 (PANAFTOSA/SPV-PAHO/WHO) - The 52nd Ordinary Meeting of the South American Commission for the Fight Against Foot-and-Mouth Disease (COSALFA) was held in Georgetown, Guyana, with active participation from delegates from the public and private sectors, as well as international observers.

The meeting featured fluid exchanges among countries and strengthened regional integration, highlighting the strategic role of Guyana as a key link between South America and the Caribbean.

During the meeting, the 2026-2030 Action Plan of the Hemispheric Program for the Eradication of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (PHEFA) was presented, which will guide the final stage of the eradication process in the Region. Countries emphasized the importance of its operational implementation, including specific actions related to the situation in Venezuela, as well as the need to maintain and consolidate the animal health status achieved by foot-and-mouth disease-free countries.

The global risk context was also analyzed, characterized by a complex epidemiological situation and the circulation and expansion of different foot-and-mouth disease virus serotypes. This scenario reinforces the need to maintain robust surveillance systems, continuous technical cooperation, and coordinated response capacities at the regional level.

In this framework, the importance of strengthening risk communication was highlighted, both toward decision-makers and producers, with the aim of improving awareness and ensuring alignment with prevention, surveillance, and early detection strategies.

During the closing ceremony, the Deputy Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Dr. Rhonda Sealey-Thomas, stated that "the Region of the Americas is at a critical moment. We are closer than ever to achieving the eradication of foot-and-mouth disease." She added that "at the same time, we face a context in which risks, although increasingly localized, require coordinated, sustained, and forward-looking responses. The resolutions adopted at COSALFA 52 clearly reflect this transition: from eradication to consolidation, prevention, and preparedness."

For his part, the Executive Director of the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA), Dr. Dwight Walrond, noted that "in his presentation, the President of Guyana emphasized the importance of being a resilient region, and that can only happen if we continue working as a team, developing all the necessary mechanisms to support this effort. We are now working with a more preventive approach so that we can consolidate the successes achieved in the past."

The Director of PANAFTOSA and ex officio Secretary of COSALFA, Dr. Manuel Sánchez, emphasized that "COSALFA must primarily be a forum for discussion and a space to analyze how to move forward," and highlighted that "this 52nd edition has opened toward the Caribbean. We have been able to listen to presentations on the challenges and concerns regarding foot-and-mouth disease in this region, and it has been a learning experience where we have been able to share different experiences."

The meeting also included the presentation of progress on the Regional Foot-and-Mouth Disease Antigen Bank (BANVACO), an initiative that generated significant interest among participants and was recognized as a strategic tool for emergency preparedness and response, enabling emergency vaccination if needed.

Likewise, the importance of strengthening the use of modeling and risk assessment tools was emphasized as a basis for decision-making and policy development in surveillance, prevention, and emergency preparedness.

Finally, delegates addressed the need to update the COSALFA model, considering the evolution of the regional epidemiological scenario. In this regard, the possibility of expanding participation to other subregions of the Americas and incorporating new stakeholders from the livestock sector, including academia and private veterinary practitioners, was discussed, with the aim of further strengthening regional health governance.