Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA
“ZODIAC has made significant strides since it was launched and currently with its network of almost 130 ZODIAC National Laboratories comprises one of the largest networks of veterinary laboratories,” said Najat Mokhtar, Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications. “We have trained over one thousand veterinary professionals, provided equipment and guidance to laboratories and embarked on essential research activities all of which are essential to bring ZODIAC’s objectives to improve countries’ preparedness, to fruition,” she said.
The ZODIAC network comprises both ZODIAC National Laboratories officially designated by their respective countries and 150 ZODIAC National Coordinators from all regions of the world. “Through the interregional technical cooperation project that supports the capacity building component of ZODIAC, the IAEA has supplied nearly 40 laboratories globally with molecular diagnostic and serology packages or next generation sequencing hardware platforms,” said Hua Liu, Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Technical Cooperation. “These will increase national capacities for the early detection, identification, monitoring, and tracing of zoonotic pathogens that cause diseases such as COVID-19 and monkeypox, and thereby help control their spread.”
“Zoonotic diseases such as Zika, Ebola, avian flu, and Mpox affect around 2.6 billion people yearly and are becoming more frequent and costly,” said Charles Lamien, an IAEA technical officer specialising in animal health. “By joining the ZODIAC National Laboratories network, countries can enhance their capacity to detect and monitor zoonotic pathogens at the animal-human interface. This enables them to minimize animal-to-human spill over events and potentially pandemics by containing outbreaks at an early stage.”