4^TH INTERNATIONAL COURSE OF THE ICMM
FOR VETERINARIES AND PARA VETERINARIES

REPORT

Over the period 9 November to 19 November 2008, the Tunisian Defence Force’s Military Medical Services presented the Fourth International Course for Veterinary and Para-Veterinary Personnel under the auspices of the International Committee on Military Medicine. More than 50 members representing 11 countries attended the course. The course followed upon the very successful first three courses presented and followed the same format of scientific presentations interspersed with technical visits throughout Tunisia.

The military veterinary world is a relatively small and close-knit community, and the course presented an ideal opportunity to build new ties and to renew old acquaintances. Veterinarians from Algiers, France, Germany, Marocco, Norway, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Spain, South Africa, Tunisia and USA, as well as two paraveterinary NCOs from South Africa and the United Arab Emirates attended the course. In keeping with the format of the previous courses, a large contingent of Tunisian veterinary and paraveterinary personnel were afforded the opportunity to attend the course and to interact with their counterparts from around the world. The attendance by local delegates not only allows for greater interaction, but also lends local colour to the event, and ensures that foreign delegates could be adequately taken care of.

The Surgeon General of the Tunisian Military Medical Services and Chairman of the ICMM, Brigadier Gen Mohamed Kamel CHEBBI, opened the course on the 10 November 2008 followed by a welcome cocktail in the evening attended by the Defence Minister in Cabinet, Mr Abdullatif CHEBBI. The organizing committee, under the chairmanship of Lieutenant Colonel Slim HADDAD had designed a diversified programme that was to expose the delegates to scientific papers, military veterinary, nation building and cultural activities, as well as touring the countryside of Tunisia. All delegates were accommodated in comfortable hotels across Tunisia.

The first two days of the course was spent in Tunis covering the role of veterinarians in disasters and the importance of emerging and re-emerging zoonotic diseases. On these two days the members had also the opportunity to visit the Tunisian Defence Force’s food health laboratory, a farm where the Tunisian Defence Force produces red meat for its members, the institute for veterinary research, the Veterinary Council of Tunisia, the National Foundation of the Improvement of the Horse Race an institute that registers and improves the genetic stock of indigenous horses in Tunisia as well as the National School of Veterinary Medicine.

On the third day the course travelled to El Haouaria where a fish factory, Thon Sidi Daoued, was paid a visit to experience hands-on food safety practices. Various presentations were given underlining the importance of food safety and the day culminated in a visit to Yasmine Hammamet, a medina constructed for the tourist market.

On the fourth day a visit was paid to a pasta factory, Epi d”Or to look at their food safety practices employed. Some lectures relating to food hygiene and the ISO systems employed for control and quality assurance were presented. After having a superb lunch in the officers club in the medieval town of Kariouan, the coliseum at El Jem, only second to the coliseum in Rome, was visited. The courses proceeded to Gabes where they spent the night.

The fifth day some lectures were presented underlining the importance of zoonotic diseases such as leismanioses and the Military Museum of the Mareth Line, the defence line used by Gen ROMMEL, was visited. A visit was also paid to the town of Matmata, a town where the people live underground to escape the heat of the Saharan desert before booking in at the hotel in Douz.

In Douz a visit was paid to the GHOUT EL GHOUL military camp where the group had the opportunity to learn more about camels and the use of camels in the desert, as well as some practical tips on desert survival. Participants were also exposed to some practical work on camels such as taking blood samples. The visit was concluded by a lunch under tents in the desert amidst a Saharan sand storm that left all participants white with Saharan dust.

On the seventh day the group toured from Douz to Tozeur, visiting Rjim Maatoug, an oasis build in the desert by the Tunisian Defence Force enticing the autochthonous population nomads to inhabit the area permanently. Water wells were drilled and agricultural activities, such as date palms, fruit trees, forage production and even ostrich farming started. Houses and social facilities were build by the Tunisian Defence Force on behalf of the Tunisian government and given to the Tunisian autochthonous population nomads.

In Tozeur lectures were given as to food safety and water security, especially in operational environments. Various discussions were held as to food safety and water security abroad naval ships and it has been identified as a serious concern that warrants further investigation. Some proposals in this regard will be forwarded to the ICMM in due course. The afternoon free time was awarded to the participants to explore the town and the desert. Some of the participants grabbed the opportunity to explore the by quad bikes, a unique experience.

The ninth day was spent travelling back from Tozeur to Tunis, visiting the town and medina of Kariouan.

On the last day the group travelled to Bizerte, the most northern town of Tunis and Africa, to pay a visit to the Military Canine Centre. Various lectures on dogs, a tour of the facility as well as demonstrations were given. After lunch the group returned to Tunis to prepare fro the closing function to be held at the hotel in Tunis.

The course was again honoured to have the Defence Minister in the Cabinet, Mr Abdullatif CHEBBI, as the chief functionary of the evening. Course participants and presenters received certificates and gifts were exchanged. The course was closed and the members retuned home from as the evening of the 19 November and the 20 November 2008.

Feedback from all the participants was extremely positive, especially as to the arrangements and accommodation. The organising committee is applauded for a task excellently done. Sincere thanks to the support of the Tunisian Government, the Minister of Defence, Mr Kamel MORJANE, and Brigadier General Chebbi for the leadership and support they have provided to the course. May this course be the highlight of Brigadier General CHEBBI’s tenure as Chairman of the ICMM, a course that will be remembered for its diversity, addressing topics as varied as veterinary clinical services, food safety and water security to even desert survival, animals from camels to scorpions and traversing from sea to desert. A course to be remembered and that will be hard to improve upon by future courses.