Vaccines and OIE listed diseases

Abstract

The procedure adopted by the OIE to create or update a standard is complex, but fully transparent. The request to create or update a standard can come from an OIE Delegate, a Specialist Commission, the OIE International Committee or any other authority following the outbreak of a disease or any significant epidemiological event. On receipt of the request, the OIE Central Bureau forwards it to the relevant Specialist Commission. The Commission reviews the request or problem and may seek expert opinion from other experts or Commissions or may decide to refer it to an ad hoc group of specialists for consideration and advice. The final advice or suggestion is reviewed by the Specialist Commission, which then proposes a draft text for an appropriate standard to be developed. This draft text is then circulated to all OIE Member Countries, which are given sixty days to comment on the proposal. The comments are considered by the Commission, which may decide to withdraw the text altogether or to make certain amendments to accommodate the comments received. The revised version is then submitted to the International Committee during the General Session in May for discussions and subsequent adoption. Once adopted, it becomes an OIE standard.