OIE launches the second version of its World Animal Health Information System

Six years after the launch of its World Animal Health Information System (WAHIS) and in line with its mission to extend transparency, efficiency and speed with which animal health information is disseminated throughout the world, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) announces the implementation of a new version of WAHIS.

The major change of this new version is the integration of a specific section for wildlife diseases notification into WAHIS.

The new section for wildlife disease notification inWAHIS allows Members to complement compulsory information on OIE-listed diseases of wild species but also to notify on a voluntary basis specific wildlife diseases that are not officially OIE-listed.

The new version of WAHIS proposes many other improvements including new options such as:

• The possibility to identify affected wild species by taxonomic family and Latin names;
• A new integrated database containing susceptible wild species by disease;
• Countries can select diseases present in their territories, provide monthly information on these diseases during an ongoing semester and finalize the rest of the requested data at the end of a given semester.

Two other new sections have been completely developed in the second version of WAHIS. WAHIS Regional Core can be customized for a group of countries or a defined region so that they can provide more information on selected priority diseases of their choice. Countries can send information on a monthly basis or by outbreak occurrence.