Contents
This system can be viewed on most recent web browser software. There are however two
requirements to using the system effectively: Your browser should support Cookies
and Javascript. Both are switched on in most browser software, so you usually
will not have to make any changes.
Cookies are small pieces of information stored on your computer when you visit
the website. These are used to keep track of who is posting a message in the discussion
forum. The cookies used on this site are session cookies, which means that they are
automatically deleted when you close your browser. They do not pose any threat to your
privacy, as they only store a randomly generated number to identify you for the session.
If you try to log on to the discussion forum and the system doesn't accept you, it is
probably because you do not have cookies activated. To turn them on, go to your browser
settings section (eg Edit | Preferences or Tools | Internet Options) and look for the
cookies options (often under a section called privacy).
Javascript allows a web page to automate some processes. This checks that
information you submit to the web site is in the correct format, so you can fix any
errors before it is sent. You can check that Javascript is activated in the same way
(eg Edit | Preferences or Tools | Internet Options).
This web site has many resources and reports for your use. Some of them can be viewed
on-line, but others are in MS Word, or Acrobat PDF format. These need to be downloaded
to your system and opened with the correct software.
Different browsers handle downloads in different ways. Mostly, when you click on a
link to a document, you will be asked if you want to open the document in the appropriate
program, or save it to disk. Sometimes, the browser has trouble identifying what the
right program is to open the document. In this case, you should save the file to disk
and make sure that the extension is correct (eg .doc for a MS Word document, or .pdf for
and Adobe Acrobat file). If the browser has added a further extension (eg .doc.php or
.pdf.php) delete the last extension. You should then be able to open the file from your
hard drive.
Adobe Acrobat files have an extension .pdf, and require the free Acrobat Reader
software to be viewed. Acrobat files are compact and retain their correct formating
when viewed on different systems. To get a copy of the Acrobat Reader, go to the
Adobe Website for
a free download.
The discussion forum offers a place where people interested in FMD in Southeast Asia can
exchange views, ask questions or give advice. Messages can be posted on this web site, and
will automatically be sent by email to all users of the discussion forum.
Joining the discussion forum
To join the forum, click on the Regional FMD Discussion Forum menu item. Every time
you log on to the forum, you will be required to provide your correct email address. If you use
more than one email address, make sure you use the same one each time. The first time you log
on, you will be asked to provide some information about yourself: Name, country and position. This
information is made available to other users of the forum so that they can get in touch with you
directly if they wish.
Acceptable behaviour
The discussion forum is for discussing the control of FMD in Southeast Asia. It is not to be used
for other purposes and personal messages are not permitted. Abusive or unprofessional language will
not be accepted. The forum is not moderated, which means that messages are distributed to all users
without being first checked. If an inappropriate message is distributed, the system administrators
will ban that person from accessing the system in the future. If you receive an inappropriate message
from the system, please ignore it, as the system administrators receive a copy of all messages and will
deal with the problem as soon as possible.
Reading messages
Once you have logged on, you will see a list of messages that have been posted. Messages are divided
into threads or topics. The first message in a thread is followed by messages from people who
respond to the original message. To view the contents of a message, click on the message subject. To
see more messages, you can move from page to page.
Posting a new message
Once you have joined, you can post a message. Click on the New Post button. You can then
enter a subject line (please keep it short and informative), followed by the text of your message.
When you are finished, click Add Message, and your message will be added to the forum. It will
also be automatically sent to all the users of the forum (including yourself) via email.
Responding to a message
When reading a message, you can click the Respond button to post a response to the previous
message, either a comment, and answer to a question, or a further question on the same topic.
Searching messages
If you want to find messages on a particular topic, you can search for keywords in the subject or
body of the message. Enter the keyword in the search box, and click Search Forum. A list of
messages containing the keyword will be displayed ready for you to browse.
Seeing a list of users
When viewing the list of messaged, the List Users will take you to a list of all users of the
discussion forum. If you want to send a personal email to one of the users, just click on their name.
This email will be sent directly to that person, instead of being submitted to the forum, and distributed
to all users.
Emailed messages
All messages submitted to the discussion forum are automatically emailed to all users of the forum.
When you receive a message, the subject will be prefixed with [FMD-List] so that you know it
came from the discussion forum. The message will contain:
- A copy of the message that was posted on the forum
- Links to any other messages in the thread (the original and any responses). Clicking on these
links will take you to the website where you can read the contents of these previous messages.
- A link to respond to the message. If you want to add a futher comment or answer a question
just click on this link and it will take you to the website page ready to write a response.
- A link to leave the discussion forum. If you don't want to receive any more messages, click
on the link to leave the forum. Your name will be removed from the user list, and no more messages
will be sent. To re-join the forum, return to the website, and log on again.
- A link to browse messages. This simply takes you to the list of messages on the web site.
Some email programs may break these links in the message over two lines. If you click on the link and
it doesn't work, just copy the contents of the link into the address bar of your browser.
Leaving the forum
If you want to leave the forum and stop receiving a copy of the email messages, you should click
on the link at the bottom of an email from the forum, as described above.
Privacy
All users of the forum have access to the details entered when joining the forum, in order to
encourage contacts between workers interested in FMD. The information collected will not be used for
any other purpose, and the list of users will not be given to any other organisation for commercial
or other purposes.
This web site contains information and resources that can be of use to those involved in FMD
control in Southeast Asia. If you wish to contribute any resources that you feel may be useful
to others, please contact the Regional Coordination Unit in Bangkok. We
will be very happy to assist.
To view information about FMD outbreaks in the region, click on the Monthly FMD Maps and
Country Reports button. This contains information submitted by member countries to the
Regional Coordination Unit every month. Reports are available as tabular reports (listing the
details of all outbreaks reported by every country for that month) and maps show outbreak
locations (for the region, and for idividual countries).
Member countries may take some time to report after the end of the month, and the information has
to be entered by RCU staff before it is available. Therefore, some reports and maps are not available,
as they are from before the system was established or for recent reports that have not yet been processed.
The research register contains a collection of research papers and other material relating to
research into FMD specifically from Southeast Asia, but including important research from other parts
of the world. Click here for help on searching the research register.
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