WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/SPS/GEN/313
22 April 2002
(02-2264)
Committee on Sanitary and
Phytosanitary MeasuresOriginal:  Spanish
IMPORTATION OF SPECIES SUSCEPTIBLE
TO ARBOVIRAL ENCEPHALITIS1
Submission by Argentina
The following communication has been received from the Permanent Mission of Argentina.
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A. EQUINE ANIMALS
A.1 Final imports
(a) Equine animals covered by international certification may not originate in, proceed
from, or, during the 30 days prior to export, have stayed in,countries/provinces/states/departments affected by West Nile Virus (WNV), or
(b) If they proceed from countries/provinces/states/departments where cases of the
disease have been recorded, the official veterinary service must be able to provide
certification that:
1. The equine animals to be exported have been maintained for at least the
preceeding 30 days
2 in an establishment in the centre of an area of a radius of
at least 30 kilometres in which no cases of WNV have been diagnosed (in
any susceptible species);
2. The equine animals to be exported have tested negative for IgM antibodies, in
serological screening carried out at least ten days3 prior to shipment date;
3. Steps are taken to monitor potential vectors in the places where equine
animals are kept; and
4. The equine animals to be exported did not display any clinical signs of
encephalitis on the day of shipment.
                                                     
1 Requirement to be issued by the official health authority of the country of origin, annexed to the
specific sanitary certification for the species in question.
2 Twice as long as the incubation period of the disease.
3 IgM antibodies appear eight to ten days after infection.G/SPS/GEN/313
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5. If the animals have been vaccinated:
• The veterinarian responsible for signing the international animal health
certificate for the export of the animals must certify that an officially licensedkilled-virus vaccine has been used, including the date and serial No. of the
product administered;
• the animals must be clearly identified; and
• the animals must be vaccinated prio r to shipment, within the recommended
deadlines for using the vaccine in question.
The following provisions apply:
• These requirements must be met in addition and without prejudice to the
requirements established by existing regulations.
• On their arrival in Argentina, the animals shall be kept in import quarantine for such
time as is necessary to conduct any laboratory screening that SENASA considersappropriate.
• Testing for encephalitis, including WNV, shal l form part of the screening during the
established quarantine period.
• In accordance with existing import regula tions in Argentina (SENASA Resolutions
Nos. 1354/94 and 280/2000), any animal found to be serological positive, either bydisplaying clinical signs or on the basis of an interpretation of the corresponding test
results, shall not be allowed to enter the country.
• Animals that might react to vaccination as  serological positive, through antibodies –
associated or otherwise – shall only be permitted to enter the country once the
absence of sanitary risk has been established, and shall be given an indelible mark.
• The vaccination record must be officially certified.
• During the import quarantine period (and prior to final import into the country), the
competent official service shall give an indelible mark to any unregistered  serological
positive animal with encephalitis.
• The register of animal identification shall be traceable through a differential archive
file to a register held under the monitoring system for arboviral diseases, administeredby the equine diseases programme of the Directorate of Health Campaigns.
• In accordance with existing import regulations  in Argentina, any animal considered to
represent an animal health risk shall not be allowed to enter the country.
NB: In all cases, the Animal Quarantine Directorate of SENASA shall carry out analyses of such
particular situations as may arise, applying the criteria described above.
A.2. Exchange of equine animals for sporti ng purposes (concerns animals which remain in
national territory for less than 30 days and any e quine animal that returns within 30 days of its
export from Argentina).G/SPS/GEN/313
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Equine animals temporarily exported from Argentina to other countries for the purposes of
sporting competition must be covered by an animal health certificate of origin and an international
health certificate on their return to Argentina, as is common practice in such cases.  With regard to
WNV, the competent official service must be able to certify that:
(a) The equine animals covered by the interna tional certification have been maintained in
facilities under official control, located in countries/provinces/states/departments
unaffected by WNV during the length of the stay in those facilities, or
(b) if they have been kept on premises located in countries/provinces/states/departments
where cases of WNV diseases have been recorded, certification of the following mustbe provided:
1. That the premises on which the equine animals have been kept are located in
the centre of an area of a radius of at least 30 kilometres in which no cases of
WNV have been diagnosed (in any susceptible species);
2. that the equine animals to be exported have tested negative for IgM
antibodies, in serological screening carried out no longer than ten days
4 prior
to the return shipment to Argentina;
3. that the equine animals to be exported did not display any clinical signs of
encephalitis on the day of shipment;
4. If the animals have been vaccinated:
• The veterinarian responsible for signing the international animal health
certificate for the export of the animals must certify that an officially licensedkilled-virus vaccine has been used, including the date and serial No. of the
product administered;
• the animals must be clearly identified; and
• the animals must be vaccinated prio r to shipment, within the recommended
deadlines for using the vaccine in question.
The following provisions apply:
• If necessary, equine animals may complete the quarantine period in Argentina (in the
Lazareto Cuarentenario Capital ), for as long as is necessary to ensure, through
clinical observation and laboratory screening, that the animals test negative for
encephalitis.
• Animals returning from a period abroad shor ter than the time needed to carry out the
necessary serological screening to determin e whether their entry represents an animal
health risk shall be subjected to such tests as SENASA deems appropriate (in the
Lazareto Cuarentenario Capital ).
                                                     
4 IgM antibodies appear eight to ten days after infection.G/SPS/GEN/313
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• Animals that might react to vaccination as  serological positive, through antibodies –
associated or otherwise – shall only be permitted to enter the country once theabsence of sanitary risk has been established, and shall be given an indelible mark.
• The vaccination record must be officially certified.
• Prior to the final import of equine animals into the country, the competent official
service shall give an indelible mark to any unregistered  animal that has tested
serological positive for encephalitis.
• The register of animal identification shall be traceable through a differential archive
file to a register held under the monitoring system for arboviral diseases, administered
by the equine diseases programme of the Directorate of Health Campaigns.
• In accordance with existing import regulations  in Argentina, any animal considered to
represent an animal health risk shall not be allowed to enter the country.
NB: In all cases, the Animal Quarantine Directorate of SENASA shall carry out analyses of such
particular situations as may arise, applying the criteria described above.B. 
BIRDS
(a) Birds, covered by international certification may not, during the last 30 days prior to
export, have stayed in countries/provinces/states/departments affected by WNV; or
(b) if they proceed from countries/provinces/states/departments where cases of the
disease have been recorded, certification of the following must be provided:
B.1 Chicks
1. Day-old chicks to be exported must come from establishments under official control,
located in the centre of an area of a radius of at least 30 kilometres, in which no casesof WNV have been diagnosed (in any susceptible species) during the last 30 days
prior to export.
B.2 Domestic and ornamental birds
2. Serological screening must have taken place in the establishment (under official
control)  where the birds are quarantined, as well as in commercial farms, in order to
confirm the absence of the disease in the establishment.
3. During the quarantine of the birds, no clinical signs of the disease must be detected.4. Steps must be taken to monitor potential vectors in the sites used for the quarantine of
birds.
5. The site used for quarantine must be located in the centre of an area of a radius of
30 kilometres in which no cases of WNV have been recorded (in any susceptible
species), for at least 30 days.
The following provisions apply to domestic and ornamental birds:G/SPS/GEN/313
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6. On their arrival in Argentina, the birds shall be kept in import quarantine for an
observation period to ensure that their sanitary condition is satisfactory.
7. Where deemed necessary, SENASA shall carry out the relevant screening during
quarantine, and in accordance with exis ting import regulations (SENASA Resolution
No. 1354/94) in Argentina, birds testing positive shall not be permitted to enter the
country.
NB: In all cases, the Animal Quarantine Directorate of SENASA shall carry out analyses of such
particular situations as may arise, applying the criteria described above.
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