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Training animal disease detectives
in the Asia-Pacific

Training animal disease detectives in the Asia-Pacific

The APCOVE Training Package is now available in six languages

The APCOVE Training Package is
now available in six languages.

  • What is APCOVE?

APCOVE is a consortium of more than 40 veterinary epidemiologists, established to strengthen field veterinary epidemiology capacity in the Asia Pacific region.

APCOVE works with government animal health authorities and educators in the Asia-Pacific region. We help train animal disease detectives to detect, prevent and control animal disease outbreaks that may impact human health, animal health and farmer livelihoods.

APCOVE is led by the University of Sydney and includes veterinary epidemiologists from all veterinary schools of Australia and New Zealand and animal health experts from eight countries in the Asia Pacific.

  • Animal disease detectives

APCOVE helps to train animal disease detectives to protect both animal and human health.

Surveillance

Animal disease detectives conduct animal disease surveillance so that diseases are detected early on before they get a chance to spread.

Outbreak investigation

Animal disease detectives investigate outbreaks to identify the source of each outbreak and to contain its spread.

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Training programs

One Health

APCOVE is passionate about One Health.

We believe that the health of animals, humans and the environment is interlinked. Therefore, we aim to eliminate siloed approaches to dealing with health issues at the human-animal-environment interface.  

One Health recognises interconnections between humans, animals and the shared environment, and focusses on dealing with health issues holistically through collaboration. 

We work with animal and public health organisations in the Asia Pacific region to develop the knowledge and skills of veterinarians in One Health. This will better enable them to work with diverse teams involving people from public health and wildlife health, to improve communication and policy for disease investigation and surveillance.

Team members
75%
of the emerging infectious diseases originate from animals.
Population growth, urbanisation and deforestation are contributing to human encroachment on wild habitats, bringing humans and domestic animals into closer contact with wildlife. This increases the potential for pathogens to cross species barriers, resulting in their spillover from animals to humans.
Risk to Australia
Funding body

Featured news

APCOVE Newsletter – Q2 2026

July 21, 2026
We’re excited to share the latest edition of the APCOVE Quarterly Newsletter! This issue highlights the continued progress and impact of APCOVE Phase II across the Asia-Pacific region. From the launch of field epidemiology projects in Timor-Leste and ongoing trainee research across Southeast Asia to international conference engagement and a significant accreditation milestone for our […]
See article
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Country partner profiles

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Transforming Animal Health Policy in the Philippines: An APCOVE Impact Story

September 4, 2025
“When African Swine Fever struck Bais City, veterinarian Melanie Flores-Pescadilla drew on APCOVE training to lead a successful outbreak response. Her field project shaped the Bais City Veterinary Code and influenced national biosecurity policy, showing how evidence-based practice can protect livelihoods and strengthen community resilience.”
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working in the lab

Meet Dr Vu Thi Thu Tra

April 30, 2022
“In Vietnam and other countries in the Asia-Pacific region, emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases have occurred, causing huge social-economic impacts. Thus, we need a skilled and professional animal health workforce to rapidly and effectively respond to disease outbreaks.”
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