Global Outbreak Solutions Delivers Field-Tested Animal Health Preparedness Across the Americas, Africa, & Asia

Expert teams, hands-on field training, and One Health collaboration are strengthening animal health emergency preparedness on the ground worldwide.

HARRISONBURG, VA, UNITED STATES, August 18, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Preparedness is proven in the field, not on paper. In recent months, Global Outbreak Solutions (GOS) has put that principle to work across the Americas, Africa, and Asia, deploying multidisciplinary expert teams and hands-on training to help governments, industry, and international organizations prepare for animal health emergencies. From avian influenza workshops in South America to anthrax preparedness in East Africa, a global biorisk management project, and One Health training in India, GOS is turning an international network of experts into practical, on-the-ground capability.

Having assembled a global network of internationally recognized experts, GOS is now mobilizing them into coordinated teams that deliver where they matter most: in the field, alongside the professionals who respond to real emergencies.

"Preparedness depends not only on having plans, but on developing the confidence and skills to put those plans into action," said Gary Flory, Founder and CEO of Global Outbreak Solutions. "Our mission is to work shoulder to shoulder with animal health and public health professionals around the world, so that when an emergency comes, they are ready to respond quickly, safely, and effectively."

That capability is evident in a major global biorisk management project GOS is contributing to, focused on biosafety, biosecurity, and preparedness for biological threats. For the effort, GOS assembled a multidisciplinary team of approximately 20 specialists across public health, veterinary medicine, emergency management, environmental health, and laboratory systems, bringing coordinated, cross-sector perspective to biological risk challenges that cross borders.

Across Latin America and the Caribbean, GOS continues to grow a portfolio of animal disease preparedness, response, and capacity-building projects. Gary Flory recently returned from a two-week project in South America, where he led four regional workshops on humane depopulation and safe carcass disposal during highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) emergencies, each pairing classroom instruction with a hands-on field day. Additional regional work addresses HPAI and African swine fever preparedness, with further projects planned to strengthen surveillance in the Caribbean and response capacity in Central America.

Supporting that work is Dr. Ricardo Gaitán, who joined the Global Outbreak Solutions expert network in 2025. A veterinarian and USDA-certified carcass composting subject matter expert, he has deployed more than 20 times to HPAI responses across California and other states and served as the public information officer during a virulent Newcastle disease outbreak. A veterinarian specialist with the California Department of Food and Agriculture and fluent in English and Spanish, he brings frontline outbreak and incident command experience that strengthens GOS's work across the Americas.

"Preparedness comes down to what happens on the ground, when a team has to make fast, humane, and safe decisions in the middle of an outbreak," said Dr. Gaitán. "What drew me to Global Outbreak Solutions is its focus on building that capability alongside the people who carry out the response."

GOS will carry that focus to the XXIX Latin American Poultry Congress (OVUM 2026) in Guatemala City, where on November 9, ahead of the November 11 to 13 program, Gary Flory will lead a pre-congress workshop for the poultry and swine industries on humane depopulation, carcass disposal, and decontamination.

In Africa, GOS is building on earlier work in North and West Africa on zoonotic and transboundary diseases in livestock and wildlife, and is extending that experience into East Africa through anthrax preparedness and response capacity building. As in every region, the emphasis is on locally relevant approaches that unite animal health, public health, environmental, and emergency response perspectives.

Reinforcing that expansion is Dr. Nacif Rihani, a senior international livestock expert who spent nearly 20 years with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), serving as a focal point for livestock emergency and rehabilitation projects worldwide, with particular emphasis on the Middle East and Africa. A former professor of animal nutrition who holds a PhD from the University of California, Davis, and works in Arabic, French, and English, Dr. Rihani brings deep regional and technical experience to GOS's growing work across the African continent and the Middle East and North Africa region.

"Effective preparedness has to fit the local context, the animals, the systems, and the people who respond. It has to be science-based and should benefit from local and endogenous knowledge and be socially and culturally acceptable," said Dr. Rihani. "Global Outbreak Solutions brings together international expertise and practical field experience in a way that helps countries build response capacity that lasts."

In Asia, GOS is deepening its engagement in India. It recently delivered One Health-focused virtual workshops for two Indian veterinary organizations, the Indian Society of Scientific Education and Farmer Welfare (ISSEFW) and the Veterinary Association of India, on emerging zoonotic disease threats, preparedness, and response. A GOS team is now preparing an in-person workshop on animal mortality management following monsoon-related flooding. On August 6, Gary Flory led an international One Health webinar hosted by ISSEFW, engaging veterinary students and animal and public health professionals building the next generation of One Health leadership.

Running through every project is a One Health approach that recognizes the deep connections among animal health, human health, plant and soil health, and the environment as a whole, and a conviction that effective preparedness is built by sharing knowledge across borders and disciplines and leaving lasting capability in the community.

From the Americas to Africa to Asia, Global Outbreak Solutions is turning international expertise into field-tested capability, helping governments, industry, and international organizations close the gap between planning and practice. As its network grows, GOS stays focused on the goal behind every project: strengthening preparedness, effective response, and resilience before the next animal health emergency occurs.

To learn more about Global Outbreak Solutions and its international team of experts, visit www.outbreaksolutions.com.

About Global Outbreak Solutions

Global Outbreak Solutions is an international animal health preparedness and biosecurity organization specializing in outbreak response, mortality management, One Health, emergency preparedness, and operational resilience. Through a global network of internationally recognized experts, Global Outbreak Solutions helps governments, industry, and organizations strengthen preparedness through practical, science-based solutions that improve resilience before emergencies occur.

Michael Grandi
Global Outbreak Solutions
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