International Symposium on Koi Herpesvirus Disease
- Strategy for Koi Herpesvirus Disease Control -

This symposium was held at the Convention Hall of Pacifico Yokohama in Yokohama, Japan on 13 March 2004. It was co-organized by the Fisheries Research Agency of Japan (FRA), the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC), the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan (MAFF) and the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE). It was aimed to exchange the latest information on koi herpesvirus (KHV) disease and its prevention and control. In East Asia, this disease occurred in Indonesia and Taiwan in 2002, and in Japan in 2003. It causes mass mortality of common carp and koi (=fancy carp) in this region.

In total, over 300 people attended the symposium, including scientists from Japan, the United States, South Korea, China, Israel and the Netherlands as well as scientists from the SEAFDEC member countries and Aquaculture Department (AQD). SEAFDEC funded eight participants from South Asian countries (excluding Thailand, one participant from each country) and three scientists from the SEAFDEC/AQD to attend the meeting through the Regional Fish Disease Project that is financially supported by the Government of Japan (GOJ) Trust Fund. The participants from Southeast Asia were: Srun Lim Song (Cambodia); Agus Sunarto (Indonesia); Chintana Chanthavisouk (Lao PDR); Azilah bte Abdullah (Malaysia); Daw Myat Myat Htwe (Myanmar); Joselito R. Sogma (Philippines); Ling Kai Huat (Singapore); Somkiat Kanchanakhan (Thailand); Tran Thi Kim Chi (Vietnam); Rolando R. Platon, Gilda D. Lio-Po and Kazuya Nagasawa (SEAFDEC/AQD).

After the keynote lecture by Dr. Ronald P. Hedrick of the University of California, Davis, 15 papers were presented by invited speakers. Four of these invited speakers came from Southeast Asia: Drs. Agus Sunarto, Ling Kai Huat, Somkiat Kanchanakhan and Kazuya Nagasawa. Information presented at the symposium varied from basic knowledge of KHV through epidemiology of KHV infection in Indonesia and Japan and KHV vaccine development in Israel to fish disease quarantine in Singapore and Thailand. Presented information was useful in understanding of various aspects of KHV infection including control and prevention. The program of the meeting and the abstracts of invited papers follows: 

Program of International Symposium on Koi Herpesvirus Disease
- Strategy for Koi Herpesvirus Disease Control -
13 March 2004, Yokohama, Japan